Williams Health Commissioner Questions County TB Control Protocol

On Mon­day, Williams County Health Com­mis­sioner Jim Watkins asked county com­mis­sion­ers to con­firm that the health depart­ment is the lead agency for tuber­cu­lo­sis con­trol. Watkins, accord­ing to the Bryan Times, said the depart­ment has oper­ated as the lead agency for years, but he wanted con­fir­ma­tion due to upcom­ing changes in state tuber­cu­lo­sis fund­ing.
Tuber­cu­lo­sis, once rare after being almost wiped out in the US, began increas­ing in 1985, partly because of the emer­gence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Tuber­cu­lo­sis remains a health con­cern, accord­ing to the fed­eral Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol, which said there were 9,582 new TB cases reported in the United States in 2013. Com­mis­sion­ers said they would research the ques­tion and give Watkins an answer as soon as possible.