[/floatr]Asahi: Comedian diagnosed with tuberculosis; health checks for fans urged
A popular comedian was diagnosed with tuberculosis of the lungs, prompting concerns that the airborne disease may have infected fans and staff at her shows and in TV studios. Haruka Minowa, 29, half of the female comedy duo Harisenbon, will spend about two months in a Tokyo hospital, Yoshimoto Creative Agency Co., the team's agent, said Monday. Tokyo metropolitan government officials said they cannot rule out the possibility that the potentially deadly disease spread at venues where Harisenbon performed. "There is a possibility that some of the people who supported Harisenbon (at these places) were infected," Yoshimoto Creative Agency said in a statement Monday. "If you have symptoms, such as prolonged coughing, please go to a hospital or clinic for an examination immediately"... Under the infectious disease law, the Tokyo metropolitan government started checking on people who had come into contact with Minowa since last December, based on Minowa's schedule supplied by Yoshimoto. According to the Tokyo metropolitan government's Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, Minowa began coughing around December and was diagnosed as suffering from TB at a Tokyo hospital last Friday...more...
