Worker at Boeing Renton facility infected with tuberculosis

RENTON, Wash. – A worker at the Boeing  Renton facility was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis.

Six workers who were in close contact with the diagnosed employee will require testing for TB as a safety precaution. Boeing said it is reaching out to the affected workers to notify them and facilitate testing.

Although tuberculosis is an infectious disease passed from person to person, according to King County Public Health, “TB is not easily spread, it typically takes repeated and prolonged exposure in a confined indoor space to become infected with TB.“

To treat TB, a patient must complete the entire treatment even after they are no longer infectious. It usually affects the lungs but can affect lymph nodes, bones, joints and other parts of the body as well.

According to King County health officials, 93 new cases of tuberculosis were reported in 2018.

To learn more about signs, symptoms, and transmissions of TB visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.