Two Chuze Fitness locations notify members about potential tuberculosis exposure

Domenick Candelieri
·2 min read
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SAN DIEGO — A potential tuberculosis exposure has been reported at two Chuze Fitness locations in San Diego County, local health officials said.

Employees and members at Chuze Fitness-Mission Valley and Chuze Fitness-Chula Vista have been notified about the health alert, the County of San Diego said on its website Friday.

The possible exposure dates at the Mission Valley location (1233 Camino Del Rio S) are from Jan. 4 to Feb. 22, while the dates at the Chula Vista location (1030 3rd Ave) are from Feb. 1 to April 30. The two exposures are said to be not related, per the county.

Members believed to be high risk at the Mission Valley location were notified. Risk from exposures at the Chula Vista have not been able to be defined, but members who attended the location during the afternoons are believed to be at highest risk, officials said.

This comes one day after news that a former San Diego Statue University Aztec Shops employee tested positive for the disease.

“Even in modern day California we still see about 10 percent of people who are diagnosed with active TB each year will die,” said health official Jeffrey Percak.

Chuze Fitness told FOX 5 it worked with the health department to notify members and has offered free TB testing for employees. SDSU emailed all staff, students and faculty.

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“When we have an exposure we try to work with employer to figure out someone’s activity within that venue,” Percak said.

Tuberculosis, an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air, produces symptoms like persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, according to the county.

“Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection. Some who become infected with TB will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated. Blood tests and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer.

Since the early 1990s, the number of people diagnosed with active TB in San Diego County has decreased, per officials. Over recent years, those cases have stabilized.

For more information on this potential exposure, you should call the County TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621.

FOX 5’s Juliette Vara contributed to this story.

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