TACOMA, WA. – (KGMI.com) Health officials issued a warning over a large amount of potential tuberculosis cases stemming from state prisons.

A press release from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says the Washington State Department of Health has been investigating those cases since July of 2021.

28 people were found to be actively infected with the disease during that time, but the concern over exposure has local and state health agencies on alert.

State DOH and state Department of Corrections investigators have identified over 2,900 possible people who may have been exposed to tuberculosis.

Another 800 left the state prison system before they could be tested for the highly contagious disease.

A spokesperson for Tacoma-Pierce County’s Health Department says that other local health departments are being notified to spread the word about TB testing among those who were previously in jail.