Health officials in New Hampshire say they have identified two people with tuberculosis who were in Manchester and Nashua while they were still infectious.
The individuals are the second and third people diagnosed with active tuberculosis since March, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said.
State health officials are working with the Manchester Health Department, the Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services and other community partners to identify anyone who might have been exposed to the two individuals to discuss getting tested for tuberculosis. But they said the two people were at several public locations in Manchester where it might not be possible to identify everyone who might have been exposed.
The Department of Health and Human Services is enouraging anyone who was at the following locations during the listed dates and times to contact their primary care provider for tuberculosis testing:
1269 Cafe, 456 Union St. (Jan. 1-March 1, 2025)
“Loads of Love” event at Wash Street Laundromat, 1231 Elm St. (Jan. 1-July 17, 2025, Monday and Thursday nights, from 10 p.m.-1 a.m.)
Hillsborough County Department of Corrections, 445 Willow St. (April 16-25 and May 9-Aug. 15, 2025)
Anyone without a primary care provider can call 211 to get connected to care. Free TB testing is also available at the following locations:
Manchester Health Department, 1528 Elm St., Manchester. Call 603-624-6466 to schedule an appointment.
MHD Outreach Van, Pearl Street Parking Lot, 45 Orange St., Manchester. Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. through Oct. 29.
Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services, 18 Mulberry St., Nashua. Call 603-589-4512 and choose option 2 to schedule an appointment.
“While there’s a low risk that someone who is exposed to TB gets sick, we are recommending that people who were at one of these locations during the listed time frames get screened for TB,” Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Elizabeth Talbot said. “Getting tested can prevent serious illness and the further spread of TB.”
Last March, the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Manchester Health Department announced that a person who had spent time at the Families in Transition Adult Shelter and the 1269 Cafe in Manchester while infectious with tuberculosis. Anyone who had visited those locations between Oct. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025, were urged to be tested for possible infection.
On average, there are 12 people diagnosed with tuberculosis in New Hampshire each year. The disease is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which typically infects the lungs. When a person with infectious tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, tiny droplets are released into the air. The bacteria spreads when someone breathes in these droplets.
Most people who are exposed to tuberculosis will not develop symptoms right away. However, the bacteria can be inactive in a person’s lungs and start multiplying later in life, causing symptoms and illness.
For more information about tuberculosis, please call the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services at 603-271-4496 or visit the DHHS TB webpage.