Canada: Campuses Test Positive for Tuberculosis: Outbreak Affects 40 at McGill, Université de Montréal; Toronto also on Alert at Children's Hospital

About 40 students and professors at the Université de Montréal and McGill University have tested positive for TB, as mass testing for the disease continues on campus. Meanwhile, in Toronto, doctors warned that more than 400 infants, parents and health workers at Canada's busiest children's hospital might also have been exposed to TB.

The Montreal outbreak began when a female student at the Université de Montréal fell ill several weeks ago. A chest X-ray revealed she had contracted TB of the lungs and larynx, the most contagious form of TB because it can be spread by coughing and sneezing. "If there's a case at a university or college, obviously there are many more people in close and prolonged contact," said Dr. John Carsley, head of the infectious disease unit at Montreal's public health department. "So if [the disease is] contagious, the risk of spreading it is greater." The advantage is that the people potentially infected can be easily identified through class lists of teachers and students, he said.

The Health Department recommended about 500 people be tested, including about 100 students and teachers at McGill, where the student took one course. So far, about 315 people have been tested and, of those, 40, including four or five teachers, have tested positive. They are not ill and pose no risk to others.

The Toronto TB alert was issued after two infants in the neonatal intensive-care wing of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children were diagnosed with the disease between December and February, said hospital Vice President Dr. Alan Goldbloom. "We believe that the risk of TB to the people who've been in contact is probably low," said Goldbloom. The first baby, born prematurely on Dec. 15, died in early February. The infection was discovered during a post-mortem examination. The second baby, who was born prematurely on Jan. 19 in Oshawa, Ontario, and diagnosed with TB on April 12, remains in the hospital for treatment. Officials would not comment on the child's prognosis. It has not been confirmed the two cases are linked. Montreal's Health Department and the universities feel the situation is under control.

Back to other CDC news for April 23, 2002

Previous Updates