San Francisco health officials are investigating two confirmed active tuberculosis cases associated with The Crazy Horse, a strip club at 980 Market St., the Department of Public Health said this week.
Why it matters: TB spreads through the air, and contact tracers are trying to find anyone who may have been exposed. The department says the risk to the general public is low right now.
What officials said
- The department was notified of the first confirmed case in early October and started contact tracing to find more cases and prevent spread, it told KTVU and NBC Bay Area.
- "These efforts are ongoing and at this time, the risk to the general public is low," the department said. "If this status changes, we will let the public know."
- The Crazy Horse did not respond to NBC Bay Area's request for comment.
Is it an outbreak?
Not necessarily. UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong told NBC Bay Area that it is not yet clear whether the two people caught TB at the club or somewhere else. He said tracing may take a while because the bacteria grow slowly, so people may be retested weeks later.
What to know about TB
Catching TB usually takes prolonged close contact with a contagious person, experts said. Most infections are latent, with no symptoms and no contagion, but can turn active without treatment. Active TB symptoms can include fever, cough, weight loss and night sweats. Health officials say people at risk should get tested and treated.
Last November, a TB outbreak at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco led to months of testing, KTVU noted.