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Health department adds measles to wastewater monitoring; reports four latent TB cases
Summary
Vernon County health staff told the board that wastewater surveillance will now include measles testing and that the county currently has four latent tuberculosis cases—unusually high for the area—along with isolated cases of tickborne illness.
The Vernon County health department announced that its local wastewater surveillance program will begin monitoring for measles shedding in the Viroqua-area wastewater treatment system. The director said early detection in wastewater would allow the department to "do that public push out" if measles were detected.
The department also reported four open latent tuberculosis cases, which staff described as a higher-than-typical caseload for the county. The director stressed that latent TB is not communicable but recommended that people with latent infections pursue treatment with nursing follow-up to prevent progression to active disease. The board discussed treatment durations and quarantine distinctions; a county hospital representative said respiratory admissions were down for the season and confirmed local cases of anaplasmosis and chlamydia.
"We do have 4 open cases of latent TB cases right now, which is pretty high for us," the director said when summarizing current communicable-disease activity. The director added that the wastewater program’s new measles testing capability could prompt a public-awareness push if shedding is identified.
