PORTLAND, Ore. -- A new Centers for Disease Control report Friday says some zoo staff members got tuberculosis from at least one infected elephant, starting back in 2013.
The zoo stood by its safety precautions, saying people who visit the elephants are safe, and no one from the general public was infected.
Dr. Jennifer Vines, the Multnomah County Health Department Deputy Health Officer, says three zoo elephants, Rama, Tusko and Packy were found to have TB. She believes six people who worked closely with the elephants got a non-active form of it from Rama, because of constant close contact.
“We’re fairly confident that at least six people probably got a non-active, latent form of TB from the first elephant who had active TB,” Dr. Vines said. “There’s an additional person who tested positive. It was hard to make any conclusions. And then we had another person, a volunteer, who had an active form of the disease. And again and we don’t have any conclusions there either.”
TB is a diseases which, if active, causes you to cough up blood and lose weight. Staff members were treated, and the zoo is now taking extra precautions.
“Throughout we have never felt the general public is at risk, our contact investigation was very thorough we never found any evidence that. That said, we took extra precautions to be very careful and put in place even more restrictive measures to take a low risk and make it even lower for the general public,” said Dr. Vines.
People who work closely with the elephants wear protective masks, and the elephants are kept a safe distance away from people.
Of the three elephants with TB, Packy is the only one still alive. Rama and Tusko passed away from other issues. The Oregon Zoo keeps Packy in a special area, away from contact with other elephants. All elephants are routinely tested.
Zoo elephant curator Bob Lee said Packy is responding well to treatments, and that his last tests have been showing up negative.
He also says the zoo is using the findings, in conjunction with the Health Department, to share in the CDC report, in hopes of helping other zoos.
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