Amazon confirms outbreak of ‘Victorian disease’ at warehouse
Amazon has confirmed that it has had an outbreak of a 'Victorian disease' at one of its warehouses.
The online retail behemoth said there were several cases of the condition, and said that a 'screening programme' was in progress, and was being done with 'an abundance of caution'.
They added that while this was going on, the site would continue to operate as normal, and they were following guidance from the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
It has been confirmed that 10 people working at a warehouse in Coventry in the Midlands, where some 3,000 people are employed, had tested positive for the disease back in September.
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Following the outbreak, Amazon was faced with calls to send all staff at the affected warehouse home with full sick leave.
The condition affecting workers at the warehouse was tuberculosis, or TB.
This was a form of TB called 'latent tuberculosis', which is not contagious like active tuberculosis.
A statement released by Amazon about the outbreak said: "In line with best practice safety procedures, we immediately followed guidance from the NHS and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and made all potentially affected employees aware of the situation.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we are currently running an expanded screening programme with the NHS.
"We will continue to follow guidance from the experts in the NHS, and would respectfully remind public organizations of the need for responsible communications where matters of public wellbeing are concerned."
Health officials have confirmed that the patients are responding well to treatment for the disease and are no longer infectious.
Dr Roger Gajraj is a consultant in health protection with UKHSA West Midlands.
He said: "The small number of individuals affected by tuberculosis (TB) are responding well to treatment and are no longer infectious, so pose no onward risk.
"As a precaution, and in line with national guidance, we are offering testing to those who may have had closer contact with the affected individuals. The overall risk remains low."
He added: "TB is fully treatable with antibiotics. We continue to work closely with Amazon to monitor the situation."
TB is a bacterial infection and mainly affects the lungs, and has historically been called 'consumption'.
Zarah Sultana, the Member of Parliament for Coventry South, slammed Amazon's decision not to close the warehouse as 'outrageous' and called the working conditions 'Victorian'.
She said: "With multiple confirmed cases on site, the warehouse must be shut down immediately and workers sent home on full pay.
"This is a corporation that clearly thinks it's above the law, forcing people into conditions that belong in the Victorian era. It's a stark reminder of why the trade union movement was founded in the first place."
Kit Roberts