The Tribune

By Morgan Adderley

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

WORKERS in the Centreville House building have been tested for tuberculosis in the wake of speculation that a female Gaming Board employee was hospitalised last week for the illness, Bahamas Public Services Union President Kimsley Ferguson told The Tribune yesterday.

The building is also being checked for mould, Mr Ferguson said.

The offices of organisations such as the Gaming Board and Urban Renewal are located in Centreville House. When contacted by The Tribune, Mr Ferguson said he had discussed these reports with Ian Tynes, acting secretary of the Gaming Board.

“(Mr Tynes) told me that on Thursday (May 31), a young lady was taken from work to the hospital, and she was hospitalised,” Mr Ferguson said.

“They really don’t have the exact prognosis, but they speculated that it may have been (tuberculosis).”

On Monday, officials from the Ministry of Health conducted Mantoux tests to screen for tuberculosis on the staff, Mr Ferguson reported.

“Today (Thursday), they would have come in, and they would have done the readings on those Mantouxs.

“And the relevant persons who they may have been concerned about, they would have sent them to certain areas to have particular things done.”

Mr Ferguson clarified that these individuals require further testing.

“After (health officials) would have read the Mantouxs, if they said that persons may have been even more exposed, then what they would have done is probably recommended them to have chest x-rays and so on and so forth.

“So that is where we are and that is what we know at this time. And (Mr Tynes) is committed to keeping me abreast of what transpires in that regard,” Mr Ferguson said.

Starting today, Centreville House also will be checked for mould, due to concerns that a respiratory illness could have caused the woman employee to be hospitalised.

“They are checking the building for mould. And if it is necessary to have a particular remediation exercise, then the (Gaming) Board will just have to go ahead and have that done,” Mr Ferguson said.

“But (Mr Tynes) wants to check for the mould to ensure that they don’t have a case of mould in the building that may be affecting persons in that area.”