'Not one single report.' Yarmouth town leader says no active TB cases in migrant housing
A Yarmouth town leader sought on Wednesday to assure residents of the absence of active cases of tuberculosis in Yarmouth following routine health screenings at housing for migrant and homeless individuals.
The town released a statement Wednesday addressing community concerns about health screenings conducted for residents of the Harborside Suites in South Yarmouth.
On Nov. 30, routine health screenings were conducted for Harborside Suites residents by the Duffy Health Center and the preliminary findings from skin tests showed signs of tuberculosis antibodies in four adults, according to the release.
“The four adults were examined, and the state Department of Public Health appointed a medical community that examined them and they affirmed that there are no active cases of tuberculosis,” said Robert Whritenour, town administrator for the town of Yarmouth, in an interview with the Times on Wednesday.
According to the release, skin testing results often produce false positives for TB bacteria due to previous immunizations. Dr. Falah Hasham of the state Department of Public Health and Meg Payne, Director of Public Health at Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod, have affirmed the absence of active TB cases at the Harborside Suites, emphasizing that there is no risk to the wider Yarmouth community, according to the release.
On Sept. 11, Yarmouth town officials announced Gov. Maura Healey's office reported placing multiple migrant families at the Harborside Suites motel. According to Whritenour, an important aspect of the migrant housing program is the regular medical screenings.
.Duffy Health Center released a statement Friday morning saying it held a primary care clinic on Nov. 18 to enroll 30 migrants who had recently arrived in Yarmouth after which the four adults were tested positive. The Times was unable at press time to reconcile the different dates for the screening.
The Center reported its findings to the state DPH, consulted with Cape Cod Healthcare Infectious Disease Clinical Services, and notified the Town of Yarmouth Health Department and Barnstable County immediately, said Duffy Health Center CEO Heidi Nelson.
State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, said he kept up to speed on the news.
"Since being made aware of these cases, I worked closely with officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, municipal health officials, health care providers, and local partners to ensure an immediate response that follows protocol and protects the health of the broader community," Cyr told The Times on Friday.
No state records of any infectious disease, town says
“There is not one single report of any infectious disease on the MAVEN system associated with the Harborside Suites,” said Whritenour.
Massachusetts Disease Registry has a specific system called Massachusetts Virtual Epidemiologic Network (MAVEN) which contains epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and case management data on approximately 90 reportable infectious diseases.
Whritenour further said he wanted to assure residents that they can count on the town officials to convey accurate information regarding these concerns.
“We want to provide accurate information as soon as it's available, and we'll continue to do that and we'll keep people posted if anything develops but for now we're relieved to see that there's no current active TB cases,” he said.
Discussion at Yarmouth Board of Health meeting
The information was discussed at the town Board of Health meeting on Monday, which was recorded and is accessible to the public on the town’s website.
“I know people are fearful of what risk might exist, especially for parents of schoolgoing children, because these people are from a different place but we've conducted all the required health screening and there has not been one infectious disease diagnosis that has occurred,” said Whritenour.
The press release also highlighted recent rumors about construction at the Harborside Suites attributing it to a septic failure due to overcrowding, which the release stated as inaccurate.
“The hotel is installing some electrical motor vehicle chargers that are not related to the migrant housing and they have received the proper permits to install those,” said Whritenour. “There's no septic system work or problems that are at that facility, it was a misinformation.”
For residents interested in migrant health updates, information is provided at Health Department meetings held on the first and third Monday of every month, at 5:30 pm in the hearing room at Town Hall.
The meetings are open to the public and are broadcast on the town’s website and channel 8.
Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about health care and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Migrant housing in Yarmouth has routine health screens, town says
