Tuberculosis in a SARS Outbreak

Preoccupied with the diagnosis of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in a SARS outbreak, doctors tend to overlook other endemic diseases, such as tuberculosis. Incorrectly labeling a patient as SARS may result in serious consequences. Single isolation being not always possible, the patient may have to be isolated with a group of SARS patients. The following article reports how a young girl suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis was erroneously diagnosed as SARS in an outbreak. Isolated with other SARS patients, she was infected with the virus. The treatment of SARS and tuberculosis resulted in liver dysfunction. Fortunately, the patient recovered uneventfully. The importance of keeping an open mind in an outbreak is highlighted.