Health Department says no more active TB at Omaha homeless shelter

By Katie Knapp

Omaha, NE – The Douglas County Health Department says there's no reason to be concerned about a recent outbreak of tuberculosis cases. The latest involves a homeless man, who was diagnosed while staying at the Open Door Mission.

Health Department Director Dr. Adi Pour says that man is hospitalized. A staff member at Open Door Mission tested positive for TB based on a skin test. But Dr. Pour says that person has latent TB and isn't infectious. She says in people with latent TB, the germ is dormant.

The Health Department continues to test clients at the Mission. Dr. Pour says it isn't unusual to find a case of tuberculosis in the city's homeless population. But she says Douglas County residents shouldn't worry about contracting tuberculosis.