Amazon Confirms 10 Latent TB Cases at Coventry Site
Amazon has confirmed that ten workers at its large Coventry warehouse tested positive for latent tuberculosis last year, prompting ongoing health screenings and calls from a trade union for the site's immediate closure. The facility, which employs thousands in the West Midlands city, continues to operate normally as health authorities assess the situation.
The cases were first identified in September among employees at the Lyons Park fulfillment center, according to Amazon. Latent tuberculosis, a non-contagious form of the bacterial infection, means the affected individuals show no symptoms and cannot spread it to others, though it can potentially develop into active, contagious TB if untreated. Health officials from the National Health Service and the UK Health Security Agency conducted blood tests on staff this week as part of an expanded screening program. No additional cases have been detected so far.
Amazon stated it promptly followed guidance from health experts upon discovering the cases. "Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our team members," a company spokesperson said. "We immediately followed guidance from the NHS and UK Health Security Agency...