MARTINEZ — Health officials in Contra Costa County sounded a warning Thursday to anyone who has spent time in a Pacheco casino over the past five years that they were exposed to tuberculosis and should be tested.
Contra Costa Health Services officials in a statement said that recent genetic testing revealed several related cases since 2018 among staff and customers at the California Grand Casino, located in the 5900 block of Pacheco Boulevard. Of 11 confirmed TB cases, 10 were linked genetically, and the majority were linked with the casino’s staff and customers.
The 11th case has yet to be genetically tested, health officials said. They recommended customers and patrons to the casino be tested for the disease.
“We are making the recommendation now, because there is new evidence that TB may have spread among people who spent time at the casino from 2018 to 2023,” Dr. Meera Sreenivasan, the deputy health officer for Contra Costa County, said in a statement. “TB can live inside someone for years without showing signs of its presence.”
TB is caused by bacteria spread through the air that most often attacks a person’s lungs, according to the World Health Organization. It takes only a few germs to be inhaled to cause infection.
The symptoms can include a persistent or bloody cough, fever, unexpected weight loss, night sweats and fatigue.
“That is why it’s important to take a test, even if you do not feel sick,” Sreenivasan said. “TB can cause serious illness, but it is treatable and curable with medicine, especially when caught early.”
Health officials said they’ve contacted more than 300 people who may have been exposed to active TB, and that they’re working with casino management to encourage testing and provide more health education.
A person who is symptomatic or who has an active infection can spread the disease, officials said. Only a TB test can detect if a person has it.
Health officials told those who believe they may have been exposed to talk to their health care provider or call the health services’ TB Client Services Program at 925-313-6740.