St. Luke's Roosevelt maternity ward has TB scare

Babies and parents who were admitted to the maternity ward at St. Luke's Roosevelt may have been exposed to tuberculosis, the Morningside Heights hospital said Wednesday.

An employee who works in the ward tested positive for the bacterial infection and they immediately began sending letters to patients, the hospital said in a statement.

"Few individuals exposed to someone with TB become infected because infection generally occurs after continuous exposure over several hours. Still, we are taking the extraordinary precautions that we have to address this issue," it said in a statement.

St. Luke's is working with the health department and offering patients and employees who worked with the infected person treatment options.

The hospital will reimburse out of insurance expenses.

The city's health department said it is working closely with the hospital and helping to notify affected patients.