TB fears revealed at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital

A patient was diagnosed as having the highly contagious disease after spending time on a surgical ward with other people.

A further 36 people were contacted by Russells Hall hospital in Dudley so they could be checked to see if they might have TB.

A hospital board report states: "Review of tuberculosis incident identified in April is underway.

"A total of 36 patients were identified as requiring contact tracing. All letters have been sent.

"No secondary cases have to date been identified.

"Tuberculosis incident – the index case had had a previous admission approximately four weeks prior to the diagnosis in April.

"The patient had been admitted on a surgical ward for an unrelated medical complaint.

"A decision was made to include this admission as part of the contact tracing programme and as a result a total of 36 patients were identified for this purpose.

"All letters have been sent out and no secondary cases have so far been identified."

TB, once referred to as consumption, is caused by the bacteria (mycobacterium tuberculosis) that frequently – although not always – targets the lungs.

A third of the world’s population, according to the Centre for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), carries the disease in its a latent guise – of these, roughly 10 per cent will go on to develop the active form.

The disease is airborne, and can only be passed through sustained contact.

Diane Wake, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: "It is very important to say that the risk to other patients who were on the same ward as the patient with TB is minimal. We have only contacted them as a precautionary measure.

"If patients haven’t had a letter from us, they have not had any contact with the patient and should not be concerned.

"Patients who have received a letter have been given a contact number to ring if they are at all worried.

"Multiple meetings take place within the hospital to oversee infection, prevention and control and ensure high standards are maintained.

"The trust closely monitors infections acquired in hospital; no further cases of TB have been identified in the hospital at this stage."