( CNN ) -- Five babies in El Paso , Texas , have tested positive for tuberculosis after being exposed to the infectious disease at a local hospital , the city 's health department says . Providence Memorial Hospital has identified more than 850 infants and 43 health care workers who were potentially exposed after a nurse came to work with an active case of TB some time between September 2013 and August 2014 . He or she worked with infants in the nursery and in the post-partum unit at the hospital . It 's important to note , health officials said , that the babies who tested positive do not have active cases of TB . Four of them received the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine for TB that may be generating false positives . Still , all will be given treatment . `` I first of all want to apologize to the families that are affected by this , and let you know as CEO of Providence Memorial Hospital , I and my colleagues take absolutely ownership of our role in this , '' Eric Evans said at a news conference last week . `` I represent today over 3,000 dedicated co-workers who get up every day dedicated to helping others in their most vulnerable moments . They 're a group of people that I 'm very proud of , and they 're all struggling with this happening in our facility . We 're going to make this right . '' 45 infants added to TB exposure list . The infected health care worker is no longer working and is receiving treatment , the owner of the hospital , Sierra Providence Health Network , said in a statement . Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that generally causes coughing , chest pain and difficulty breathing , according to the Mayo Clinic . An estimated 2 billion people worldwide have what 's called latent TB , where the bacteria remain dormant and do n't cause symptoms . `` Once in the body , the bacteria usually lay dormant for months or years before they begin to grow and cause a case of active TB , '' the El Paso Department of Public Health said in a statement . `` That is why it is so important to identify people who may have been exposed , screen them , and provide treatment . '' The bacteria that cause TB spread through the air when an infected patient coughs or sneezes , but it 's not a highly contagious disease ; close contact over a longer period of time is required before another person becomes infected , according to the Mayo Clinic . Only active TB can be spread . Patients with TB must take antibiotics for six to nine months . Some strains of TB are resistant to antibiotics , which makes them more dangerous . Without treatment , TB can be fatal , the Mayo Clinic says .
Five babies in El Paso , Texas , have tested positive for tuberculosis . Infants exposed after nurse came to work with active TB . Comment: