City of St. Louis Department of Health Begins New Tuberculosis Services Partnership with Washington University School of Medicine

Tuberculosis (TB), a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air, is a public health concern in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This year there have been nine TB cases in the City of St Louis and the five year mean, for this point in the year for the city, is six cases. There have also been 121 TB infections in the city this year, with the five year mean being 155.6 infections.

TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys, or spine. A person with TB can die if they do not get treatment.

“The City of St. Louis Department of Health works within the community to ensure individuals are tested, treated and educated about their risk for TB,” said Dr. Fredrick Echols, director of health for the City of St. Louis.

On July 1st, the City of St. Louis Department of Health will welcome Washington University School of Medicine as a key public health TB service provider partner, as the supervision of the city’s TB control services are transitioned from Dr. Sonny Saggar to Washington University. Christopher Prater, MD, MPH will spearhead the management of the services, and he will be assisted by Ige George, MD, MS. Both are physicians at Washington University School of Medicine.

“Washington University is looking forward to being part of the Department of Health’s TB intervention team,” said Dr. Christopher Prater. “The university has a long history of responding to the needs of our local community.”

Dr. Echols said, “if our goal is the elimination of TB disease in St. Louis it is essential that we collaborate and partner with local healthcare providers like Washington University to minimize the spread of the disease.’

For addition information about tuberculosis visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/tb/.