Florida: Airport Employees to Be Tested for TB

All airline employees and skycaps at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in Florida are scheduled to undergo TB testing today by Manatee County health officials following news that two skycaps tested positive for the illness.

One of the two men has died, but it was unclear whether TB was the cause of death, according to Fred Piccolo, the airport's president and CEO. The man died sometime within the past month, Piccolo said. The second skycap's case, he said, was confirmed Friday. The men's names were not released.

A memo written by Piccolo and dated Dec. 13 outlines the details of the testing. Health officials plan to return to the airport Wednesday to check the results. Although the airline employees have been made aware of the skycaps' illness, the general public has not been notified, according to airport officials. "It's a Department of Health issue, not an airport issue," Piccolo said. Manatee County Health Department could not be reached for comment.

Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority Board Member Bob Waechter, said the decision was made to keep the information between the airport and the health department because he contends there is no reason for alarm. "Tuberculosis takes consistent, prolonged contact to pass along to another person," Waechter said.

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