Following the diagnosing of an 84-year-old patient with tuberculosis (TB), the country’s top medical officials announced the screening of all those who were in close contact with the patient while at the same time assuring the public that they should not be alarmed.

According to the Director General (Health Care Services) John Cachia, the patient was at first thought to be suffering from respiratory problems, as happens often to elderly people during the wintry season.

The patient was admitted to and discharged from hospital quite a number of times. He was first admitted to and discharged from St Luke’s Hospital, then readmitted during the migration period to Mater Dei Hospital. After a number of other admittances and discharges, he was finally diagnosed with TB.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by bacteria which commonly affect the lungs but also can involve almost any organ of the body. In the past it used to be called "consumption" because, without effective treatment, these patients often would waste away.

Dr Cachia explained that the patient had suffered from the disease a few decades ago and it went dormant until triggered back in action, possibly by a sudden weakening of his immune system. This happened as the TB bacilli laid dormant, protected by a thick waxy coat.

Dr Charmaine Gauci, Health Promotion and Disease Surveillance director, explained that doctors are bound by law to report any cases of TB. She said that the procedure is to speak to the patient and identify the people that would have been in contact with the person in order to prevent the spreading of the disease.

Dr Gauci said TB was transmittable by close and prolonged contact with an infectious person. As a precaution, the directorate decided to call in around 20 former patients who shared a room with the patient in order to have them screened. She insisted that their families were not in danger of contracting the disease. Similarly, patients occupying beds in the same wards and their visitors, including children, are out of danger.

Mater Dei Hospital will also be screening its health care workers for the same purposes.

Dr Cachia said the patient is well and isolated in a special chamber that is surrounded by a buffer zone. The chamber is air-controlled, thus bacteria exhaled by patients are prevented from dispersing into the air.

There were 35 cases of TB registered last year, half of which involved Maltese people, said Dr Gauci. The patient will be taking medication for around nine months; however, he may be discharged earlier as the disease would no longer be infectious.

Dr Cachia said that TB inoculation carried out at schools was taken by over 80 per cent of the students, which was considered as an excellent uptake by medical standards.

While reiterating that the case should not alarm the general public as there is no risk of the spreading of the disease, she advised the public to ask makes its queries at the helpline 21324086 during office hours.