03/07/2025
DHHS Identifies Person with Tuberculosis, Announces Testing Clinics for Individuals Potentially Exposed
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Manchester Health Department (MHD) have identified a person with tuberculosis (TB) who was at the Families in Transition Adult Shelter and the 1269 Café in Manchester, NH while infectious. The DHHS Division of Public Health Services and MHD are working closely with the facilities and community partners to identify and notify staff, volunteers, participants, and visitors who may have been exposed and connect them to testing and evaluation for TB infection. There is currently low risk to the broader Manchester community.
Anyone who visited these facilities from October 1, 2024 through January 31, 2025 could have been in contact with the individual and testing is available to find out if they were exposed to the bacteria that causes TB. DHHS and MHD are inviting people who visited one of the facilities during the specified time frame to one of the following TB testing clinics at 1269 Café (456 Union Street in Manchester):
Tuesday, March 11 from 10am-2pm
Wednesday, March 12 from 10am-2pm
“While not everyone who comes in contact with a person who has TB gets sick, we are recommending that people who were at one of the two facilities between October and January get tested to see if they were infected,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Elizabeth Talbot. “Getting tested can provide peace of mind and help prevent sickness and the spread of TB.”
There is no cost to get tested at these clinics. Testing will involve drawing a blood sample, which will be sent to the DHHS Public Health Laboratories to determine if the individual has TB bacteria in their body. People who believe they may have been exposed can also contact their primary care provider to request TB testing. Anyone without a primary care provider can call 211 to establish care.
On average, there are 12 people diagnosed with TB in New Hampshire each year, and DHHS initiates a disease investigation for each one. Over the course of these investigations, DHHS works to identify people who may have been exposed, notify them, and connect them with appropriate testing and treatment.
TB is a disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which typically infects the lungs. When a person with infectious TB coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets are released into the air. The bacteria spreads when someone breathes in these droplets.
Most people who are exposed to TB will not develop symptoms right away. However, the bacteria can be inactive in a person’s lungs and start multiplying later in life, causing symptoms and illness. At this point, the person can spread the bacteria to other people.
Testing is the only way for people to know if they have been exposed and have the TB bacteria in their bodies. There is treatment available to prevent TB infection from turning into active TB disease. Symptoms of active TB disease include unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fever, and a persistent cough that can last for weeks or longer. Anyone who might have been exposed to TB and develops these symptoms should contact DHHS at 603-271-4496 as soon as possible.
For more information about TB, please call DHHS at 603-271-4496 or visit the DHHS TB webpage.
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