The Four Roads Police Station has been shutdown following a tuberculosis (TB) scare on Sunday.
A hand-written notice taped to the glass of the front door of the station yesterday read: "Closed until further notice." The station has since been reopened, a statement from the Police Service said late yesterday. Secretary of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Sgt Michael Seales, said 40 officers who were assigned to the station were transferred to the West End Police Station and other stations within the Western Division. "We have identified 15 officers in all who would have been exposed at the Four Roads Police Station but they were treated," Seales said.
The statement, however, said 20 officers were exposed. Those officers are expected to meet with the Chief Medical Officer at Caura Chest Hospital today, the statement said. Seales said the situation arose when a man was arrested around 2.30 am on Sunday in a routine roadblock exercise. The man, who was stopped at the Roxy Roundabout, St James, for a traffic offence also was charge with driving under the influence, resisting arrest, using obscene language, assaulting a police officer and causing damage to a police vehicle. He was then processed and taken to one of the cells at the station which is located at the eastern side of the station.
While in the cell the man complained of feeling unwell and when taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital he admitted to the doctor he had tuberculosis and had stopped his medication a month ago.
He also admitted to experiencing his third relapse. "The Four Roads Police Station continues to be inactive. It is under quarantine at this time," Seales said. He said members of the Ministry of Health and the National Maintenance Training and Security Company Limited (MTS) sprayed the station yesterday.
The countertops and other areas were wiped with bleach. However, this was not the first time the association has raised issues regarding possible health risks at the station.Seales said: "For quite sometime we have been asking for an extractor fan to be placed in the air-conditioning unit at the cells of the station. "The air in the cells can be very pungent at times."
He said there were also no dormitory or shower facilities for the ten woman officers at the station.
"It's all good to roll out the 21st Century Policing Initiative but no one is taking into consideration how it will impact on the human resource because the fundamental equipment is not in place," Seales added.
Concern also has been raised by the association regarding the spreading of the disease since the suspect was in contact with at least ten other prisoners, all of whom were transferred to other stations.
Three of the other prisoners were sent to the West End Police Station and one transferred to the Belmont Police Station. "The officers who came into immediate contact with the suspect were treated as well as other officers at the Four Roads Police Station.
In a statement issued by the Police Service late yesterday said the station was reopened. An earlier statement from the Police Service directed members of the public to either make reports to the West End or St James Police Station. "The closure is a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the health and safety of officers and the public as there may have been a tuberculosis contamination of the environment," the first release said. It added that a team of representatives from the Health Ministry, including Dr Melville, acting chief medical officer Dr Smith, the medical officer of health for St George West and teams from primary care and the public health sector visited the station. In the subsequent release late yesterday, the Police said the station was reopened and the suspected carrier had been taken to the Caura Chest Hospital. It said, too, that the 20 officers would meet with the Chief Medical Officer at 9 am today at the Caura Chest Hospital.3
About TB
Tuberculosis, or "TB" for short, is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, the disease can be fatal. TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
TB is NOT spread by
- shaking someone's hand
- sharing food or drink
- touching bed linens or toilet seats
- sharing toothbrushes
- kissing
Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. There are two TB-related conditions-latent TB infection and active TB disease. TB bacteria can live in your body without making you sick. This is called latent TB infection (LTBI). In most people who breathe in TB bacteria and become infected, the body is able to fight the bacteria to stop them from growing. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and do not have any symptoms. The only sign of TB infection is a positive reaction to the tuberculin skin test or special TB blood test. People with latent TB infection are not infectious and cannot spread TB bacteria to others. However, if TB bacteria become active in the body and multiply, the person will get sick with TB disease. TB bacteria become active if the immune system can't stop them from growing. When TB bacteria are active (multiplying in your body), this is called TB disease. TB disease will make you sick. People with TB disease may spread the bacteria to people they spend time with every day.