Rare Tuberculosis Case Confirmed in Worker at Portland's Migrant Shelter

Medical records show a former shelter employee has contracted a rare form of the respiratory illness that can spread to other organs, including the brain, liver, kidneys, and bones.

An employee at Portland’s newest shelter for single asylum seekers has tested positive for a rare and deadly strain of tuberculosis and is currently intubated at a hospital in Portland.

Medical records reviewed by the Robinson Report show that a 22-year-old male, who began working last year at the City of Portland’s asylum seeker shelter at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway, was admitted to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital on April 11 and hospitalized for ten days.

According to health records reviewed by The Robinson Report, the man was diagnosed with miliary tuberculosis, which is a rarer and more dangerous form of the disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

For his initial round of treatment, the man was prescribed a regimen of dexamethasone, isoniazid, levofloxacin, pyrazinamide, pyridoxine, rifampin, albuterol, ipratropium-albuterol, and intravenou…