Parents yesterday told of their panic on finding that the woman hired to look after their baby had tested positive for tuberculosis — and kept silent.The shock revelation prompted the infant’s parents to quarantine themselves and warn others.The couple say they only learned of their Bermudian babysitter’s medical condition after the woman was forced to leave the house suddenly for a medical appointment.They subsequently obtained a chest X-ray for their son, and have avoided work and contact with others while their own tests are processed.The concerned couple came forward under conditions of anonymity to make sure that others have not been unwittingly infected with TB.“We are just at a loss,” the father told The Royal Gazette. “Obviously, it’s of great concern to us. Our boy has a respiratory problem at the moment as well.“We mentioned that he had this problem, which would have made it even more of an obvious concern, and she still didn’t tell us.”The local child minder’s case must have been known to the Health Department, they said, since all cases of the disease are monitored closely.TB isn’t easily transmitted, but carries in exhaled droplets and is spread by proximity. The disease is rife in the developing world, and drug-resistant strains are of increasing concern.The couple, both of whom work, hired the babysitter — a woman in her 30s — based on the recommendation of others.They found out she was carrying TB only after she’d been working for them for about three weeks.The discovery came as Department of Health officials announced a student at Heron Bay Primary School and another resident, were infected with TB.The news, and the disease’s potentially serious consequences, made headlines.The parent added: “As it is, we had to contact someone else as she had been in contact with their children — and she had not told them either.”Now they’re unsure how many other people may have entrusted their children to a person carrying the disease. “Everything that could happen goes through your mind, especially as a parents.”They will find out today if their own test results show the spread of TB.Even if those results are negative, they must undergo a follow-up test in six months’ time before it’s certain they’re in the clear.The couple have no idea when the woman’s first test for TB was administered, or what her reasons had been for initially seeking it.“We don’t know. We just heard she’d already had it, and that she was aware,” the parent said. “Then she got tested again.“She didn’t tell us. We only heard about it from her [because] she had to leave the house suddenly to get her result.“We didn’t know that she had even been tested. If I were looking after a child, especially a baby, and I knew there was even a chance that I had tuberculosis, obviously I would have said something.”They speculated that the woman may not have understood the gravity of her illness — or had felt pressured for economic reasons to keep on working.“If nobody told her, that’s of even more concern to us. If the Health authorities didn’t tell her, ‘Oh, by the way, maybe you shouldn’t be holding babies’ — it seems unlikely something like that would have been forgotten.“If she tested positive the first time, and no one mentioned she shouldn’t be working with children, it puts parents in the position that we have to ask people.”Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Cheryl Peek-Ball said last night: "The family’s situation came to the attention of the Department of Health yesterday, and the nurse epidemiologist and a medical officer are in the process of identifying and assessing those involved. The Department of Health will shortly be in contact with the family to inform them that it appears there is no danger to them given the investigations so far.“Typically the best practice for individuals concerned about their health is for them to seek medical attention and for the health care providers to collaborate in this care. That means timely reporting of “reportable diseases” to the Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health. This allows for appropriate contact tracing."Meanwhile, an all-clear has been issued for Heron Bay Primary School, and residents have been advised to seek a free screening, if they feel concerned.Tests are available through the Hamilton Health Centre clinic Mondays through Wednesdays from 8.30am to 11.30am.