Threat of TB spread considered nil

LYNNWOOD — Although an employee at Nordstrom’s Alderwood store has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, Snohomish Health District officials said Thursday that there is no ongoing risk of customers or employees contracting the disease.

The employee has not worked at the store for about three weeks. On Feb. 20, the employee began a leave of absence for another health problem, said Brooke White, a Nordstrom spokeswoman.

The store was notified on Monday that the employee was diagnosed with a confirmed case of tuberculosis and contacted the Snohomish Health District immediately, White said.

Tuberculosis is spread through the air when a person with an active case of the disease coughs or sneezes. The Nordstrom store is spacious and has an excellent air exchange system, both of which help prevent spread of the disease, said Suzanne Pate, Snohomish Health District spokeswoman.

The patient, who is in isolation and is being treated in another state, has voluntarily been in contact with the public health agency, Pate said. The patient will be treated with antibiotics for six months.

Those who spend the most time with an infected person, such as family members, have the highest risk of catching ­tuberculosis, she said.

Since it generally takes prolonged, close contact to spread the disease, the people outside the home most at risk of contracting tuberculosis were some of her co-workers, Pate said.

Several store employees are being tested, she said.

“The customer would have had to have had prolonged — hours of contact — with that individual” to pose a risk of contracting the disease, Pate said.

Anyone with concerns about the disease should contact their doctor or medical clinic, she said.

Unlike some viruses, such as colds, tuberculosis is not easily spread, she said. So, for example, you can’t catch it by touching a doorknob that has been touched by someone with TB.

“This isn’t a cause for great alarm,” Pate said. “Every year, we have about two dozen active cases of tuberculosis we deal with, treat and follow up on. That we were able to begin the investigation at this store so promptly should be reassuring to people.”

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.