Danbury Library Blog

The staff and volunteers of the Danbury Library were recently informed by the City of Danbury's Department of Health, Housing & Welfare that there may have been the potential for exposure to pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) at the library. As was reported in the News-Times on August 15, a teen library volunteer was diagnosed with active TB. TB is an airborne bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. Repeated and prolonged exposure to someone with an active case of TB who is coughing or sneezing is necessary for infection to take place. In other words, touching library materials, such as books or DVD's, or using library equipment, such as computers or self-check machines, will not result in infection. City health officials have told us that the library's staff members and volunteers are at a very, very low risk of having been exposed, and the library's customers are at an even lower risk. In other words, you need not worry about catching TB on your next visit to the library. To be on the extremely safe side, the city is offering free TB skin tests to all library employees and volunteers to ensure that no library employee or volunteer has been infected.

For more information about TB, contact Ms. Maureen Singer, R.N., at the Community Health Service (791-5050), or visit the American Lung Association's web site. We at the library and city health officials are doing everything possible to keep our customers and employees healthy and safe.