Civitavecchia – ASL RM F denies the’alarm about tuberculosis

The Corporate Management in reference to the news published in some local media regarding an improbable ‘Allarme tubercolosi’, in order to bring the mentioned circumstances back to a dimension of truth, wishes to inform that at present there are no ascertained cases of tuberculosis in the city and that all the procedures adopted have been in perfect compliance with the regulations in force.

The inaccuracies and conjectures highlighted in the articles in question are numerous, and have the only possible effect of creating a procured alarm among the population.

“What was reported in the newspaper – specify from the Prevention Department of the ASL – regarding the dates of the alleged hospitalization and the number of cases, as of today it is not true, as on 2/4/2015 the Hygiene and Public Health Service of the ASL RM F Prevention Department received a report of only one case, moreover suspected, of TB: it is necessary to confirm the case, before preparing any kind of Public Health intervention, and until then there is no obligation to inform anyone.”.

“In the days before Easter – informs the Health Management of St. Paul&#8217s Hospital – the’only foreign person who showed up in the emergency room was a lady (not Libyan) who arrived in the PS on 31.03.2015 at 12 noon.14; after chest X-ray with negative results, CT skull scan with negative results, blood chemistry tests and therapy the patient was discharged with a diagnosis of “Reported syncope with fever” on 01.04.2015 at 7 p.m.37 with indication control by the caregiver, control blood count.

From telephone contacts with the Spallanzani Hospital Health Directorate, it would appear that to date there has been no admission of the aforementioned patient. As per company procedure for cases of febrile patients and sputum, steps were taken during the stay in the ER to isolate the patient and provide her with a mask, as was similarly done with health care personnel.”

“The’other cited case, conversely, arrived at the emergency room on 03/30/2015 with a diagnosis of syncope, and was admitted the following day to medical care with a picture of tracheobronchial infection . Performed a chest X-ray that came back negative, then a CT scan that showed a picture for suspected pulmonary TB militarily even if from the clinical point of view it was faced with a scarcely symptomatic picture , in the evening was ordered the transfer to the l’ Spallanzani institute in Rome”

“On 02/04/2015, the notification form of suspected pulmonary miliary TB was sent to the ASL Prevention Department . Therefore, to date , there is no confirmation of the eventual diagnosis . The ASL is in constant contact with the Spallanzani Hospital, on 03/04/2015 the Spallanzani Institute physician confirmed that the clinical picture is atypical for miliare tuberculosis as the absence of sputum, but the radiological examination would seem typical of miliare TB, which in any case is not a highly contagious form as the patient does not eliminate bacilli with sputum. In the meantime, he has undergone various therapies and is still awaiting the results, which will probably be communicated to us tomorrow, and is currently not following specific therapy because his condition has improved.”

Hospital Health Management, as per procedure, activated the IOC Operations Group, the competent physicians for health surveillance of employees identified as close contacts. However , until suspicion is confirmed, no compliance is expected. Even in cases of exposure to bacilliferous patient, the investigations on workers ( Mantoux , visit with contact card) must be performed after at least 20 days from the exposure.

“The prophylaxis of infectious diseases – conclude from the Prevention Department – does not follow an “absurd” protocol but in this specific case is required to follow precise Ministerial Guidelines for Tuberculosis Control Activities and the Company Procedure on “Surveillance of Contacts of a Case of Pulmonary Tuberculosis” (published long ago on the Company Site). This task is delegated to the Hygiene and Public Health Service of the Prevention Department, which in any case ensures the protection of Public Health, balancing respect for individual privacy and public benefit.”

It still seems peculiar, finally, that instead of worrying about engendering possible alarm among the population with his words, the reporter in question ventures into behavior lessons regarding the ASL’s Press Office, where according to him “no one answers and no one gives detailed information about the problem.” a Press Office, as is obvious, is neither an emergency service, nor does it operate 24 hours a day, let alone is it deputed to provide detailed answers to anyone who calls and at any hour, articulating its activities, on the contrary, toward correct information and effective institutional communication, in the time and manner that these provide.