At least 11 people diagnosed with tuberculosis in Arnhem

At least 11 people in Arnhem have contracted tuberculosis. They are mainly homeless people who are involved in the drug trade, the municipality said. “We don’t see a cluster like this very often,” a spokesperson for the local health and security authorities, Veiligheids- en Gezondheidsregio Gelderland-Midden (VGGM), told NU.nl.

De Gelderlander reported that the first tuberculosis cases were discovered among people gathered to use drugs in buildings in the ‘t Broek neighborhood at the end of February. The newspaper also wrote, based on sources, that some of the infected people have died.

The VGGM spokesperson would not comment on the first infections nor reported deaths. “Some are being treated in the hospital, some at the Municipal Health Service (GGD),” the spokesperson said.

Tuberculosis is a highly infectious disease that usually affects people’s lungs. The disease is caused by the tuberculosis bacterium. Not everyone becomes ill from the bacteria. Most healthy people have a strong enough immune system to fight it off. But people with weakened immune systems could get sick.

Symptoms of a tuberculosis infection include persistent coughing, difficulty breathing, and fever. Tuberculosis is easily treatable with antibiotics.