Passengers travelling on a Greyhound bus through Langley on Oct. 11 may have been exposed to a passenger with an infectious case of tuberculosis (TB).
The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) issued a public health alert notice when they were notified that a passenger travelling on Greyhound bus #5098 was identified as being a positive carrier of TB.
The Greyhound bus left Vancouver at 7:45 a.m. and travelled through Coquitlam, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, Merritt, Westbank and arrived at the Kelowna depot at 11:55 p.m.
The ill passenger was on board the bus for the entire journey and is currently receiving treatment in Kelowna.
TB is a bacterial infection of the lungs and is primarily spread from person to person by breathing in infected air during close contact.
TB can remain in an inactive or dormant state for years without causing symptoms or spreading to other people, so it is crucial that all people who have come into close contact with even a suspected case of TB, get tested, said Carol Swan, BCCDC communications representative.
The most common signs and symptoms of TB are fatigue, fever, weight loss, coughing/coughing up blood, and night sweats.
Health authorities from CDC, Public Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Interior Health are urging all passengers on the Greyhound bus trip #5098 to get tested by calling HealthLink BC at 811.