A total of 118 newborns have been infected with inactive tuberculosis at an obstetrics clinic in Seoul, health authorities said Wednesday.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the infants from the clinic in northern Seoul were confirmed to have been infected with the bacteria-related disease.
Inactive TB means that bacteria are present in the body but are dormant. The body's immune system can suppress TB for years.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the infants from the clinic in northern Seoul were confirmed to have been infected with the bacteria-related disease.
Inactive TB means that bacteria are present in the body but are dormant. The body's immune system can suppress TB for years.
Between 60 and 90 percent of inactive TB patients can prevent a TB outbreak if treated well. However, inactive TB can be dangerous among infants.
The infants were infected after a nurse with TB started working at the clinic in November.
South Korea had the highest incidence rate of TB among the world's most developed economies belonging to the 34-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2015. A separate OECD report showed that 80 out of every 100,000 South Koreans were infected with the disease in 2015, trailed by Portugal with 23. (Yonhap)