Cases of tuberculosis are on the rise in Santa Barbara County, and health officials are hoping that an infusion of funding from the state will help them address the issue.
The county Public Health Department reported 24 new cases of the infectious disease in 2018. That is more than double the 10 cases reported in the county in 2017, according to data from the California Department of Health and Human Services. The number of cases reported in 2018 also represented an increase in the average number of new cases recorded over the last three years, which was 12.
Health Department spokesperson Jackeline Ruiz told the Sun that the department had identified the cause of the recent increase in cases.
“It’s a very isolated cluster of [TB cases] that’s been occurring in the Northern region of Santa Barbara County,” Ruiz said. “That’s the reason for the uptick.”
Ruiz said that tuberculosis is contagious and is easily spread among households, which is why such clusters can be common. However, she added, the department didn’t believe there was a high risk of it spreading to the wider public at this time.
“It’s an isolated cluster, so the greater public is not in danger,” she said.
Still, the increase was concerning enough for the department to seek the additional funding. According to a recent report by county staff, the agency applied for and received an extra $189,517 from the state. That included a $160,798 “special needs” award to support the county’s Tuberculosis Prevention and Control program. That money will help pay for extended overtime, phlebotomy training, laboratory testing, and other services. In addition to the special needs award, the department received another $28,719 to help provide food, shelter, and other services for county residents diagnosed with tuberculosis.
To learn more about the county’s prevention and control program, visit countyofsb.org/phd/dcp/tuberculosis.sbc, or call (805) 681-5280.
This article appears in Mar 7-14, 2019.