Rebecca Hibbard is new Griffith-based tuberculosis care coordinator
Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) is pleased to welcome Rebecca Hibbard as a tuberculosis (TB) care coordinator based in Griffith.
Having previously worked as a community care nurse in Griffith, Ms Hibbard is already a familiar face in the area.
Ms Hibbard is reminding the community that today, March 24 2025, is World TB Day.
“Millions of people still fall ill with TB every year. While Australia is considered a low incidence TB country, there is no room for complacency,” she said.
“TB is one of the oldest and deadliest diseases which, despite being preventable, kills more than 1.2 million people each year across the globe.
“The good news is TB can be successfully treated with the correct antibiotics and carefully supervised treatment, and MLHD provides a number of TB-related services.”
TB can attack any part of the body, but the lungs are the most common site. People with TB may have the following symptoms:
- A cough that lasts for more than three weeks
- Fevers
- Unexplained weight loss
- Night sweats
- Always feeling tired
- Loss of appetite
- Blood-stained sputum
- Pain and/or swelling in the affected area when TB is outside the lungs.
MLHD remains committed to raising TB awareness in the community and participates in the NSW TB program which provides a comprehensive multidisciplinary service for the prevention, screening and treatment of TB in NSW.
The MLHD’s TB service provides:
- Comprehensive assessment and diagnostic services
- Medical and nursing consultations for all aspects of prevention and control
- Treatment of latent and active Tuberculosis including supervision of medication adherence
- Occupational TB screening
- Immigration TB screening and assessment
- TB contact screening and outbreak investigations
- BCG vaccination
- Education for parents, community and health care workers
Ms Hibbard is dedicated to working with her MLHD colleagues to provide high-quality care to the District’s patients as part of a wider goal to contribute to the worldwide reduction of infections by 2030 and the United Nations’ goal to end TB by 2035.
“I am looking forward to providing care for Griffith and the surrounding communities,” she said.
The MLHD’s free TB Service can be accessed via a GP or by calling or emailing the Community Care Intake Service on 1800 654 324 or MLHD-CCIS@health.nsw.gov.au
For urgent enquiries call the Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055
For more information: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/tuberculosis/Pages/default.aspx