Loudoun County commuters who regularly rode a bus used by a tuberculosis patient may have picked up the dangerous disease earlier this year.
For 3 1/2 months, from April 1 through July 16, a person unknowingly carrying tuberculosis used the popular Loudoun County commuter buses to reach a job in downtown Washington.
Though there is low risk the disease spread, Loudoun County Health Department officials are urging people who take the DC25W, DS26 and LC25 buses to get tested for free.
“Since it was a commuter bus and we don’t have a record of passengers, it’s hard to identify who was on the bus,” Loudoun County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend said.
Health department nurses rode the buses Thursday to inform commuters of the recent positive test. The person who tested positive has recovered and is no longer contagious, Goodfriend said.
The health authority is not identifying the person or providing any distinguishing physical characteristics because of federal and state laws and concern about deterring people from coming forward in the future, he said.
Although about 15 people test positive for the disease each year in the county and 200 in the Northern Virginia region, the unusual circumstances of the recent case persuaded officials to warn fellow commuters.
“The risk of exposure to anyone is pretty low, but we always err on the side of caution, because the testing is rather simple,” Goodfriend said.
The bacterial disease is potentially fatal, but that rarely happens in the United States because treatment is so advanced, Goodfriend said.
The passenger did not have a drug-resistant form like the Atlanta lawyer whose international travels provoked a national scare earlier this year, Goodfriend said.
Although most people infected with tuberculosis do not become sick, there is a 1 in 10 chance the disease will make them very ill.
More information
Anyone potentially exposed to tuberculosis on the buses can be tested for free at the Loudoun County Health Department, 102 Heritage Way NE, Leesburg. The Health Department will hold two special testing sessions from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Aug. 27, with follow-up visits two days later. Bus service from the Dulles North and Dulles South park-and-ride lots will be provided. County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend will be available in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center at 10 a.m. Saturday to provide information to interested residents.
