More than 200 patients and staff will be monitored after a tuberculosis case at Royal Perth Hospital.

Health Minister Roger Cook confirmed the case and said action was being taken to prevent further contamination.

There were reports earlier today that patients were sent letters to alert them to the infectious disease.

“As part of our normal protocols, whenever we have detected a confirmed case we then reach out to all the patients and staff who may have come in contact with this patient,” Mr Cook said.

“This is part of normal protocols and is part of appropriate public health management.”

Mr Cook said he did not have details about how the patient had become contaminated.

A spokesman for the North Metropolitan Health Service said the WA TB Control Program was undertaking “routine contact tracing” of 115 patients and about 100 staff that may have been in contact with the sick patient.

“This is a standard procedure done for every case of TB diagnosed in WA,” he said.

“The procedure involves testing for TB infection, which if found is nearly always before it causes symptoms and before it can be further transmitted.”

TB is acquired by breathing the bacteria into the lungs.

“It can lead to disease later in about 10 per cent of people, usually in the lungs and causes a persistent cough, sometimes associated with fever, sputum production and general ill health,” a health spokesman said.

In WA about 130 cases of TB are diagnosed each year in WA. The cure rate is about 98.5 per cent, the health spokesman said.

Any person concerned that they are infected with TB or having symptoms should contact the Anita Clayton Centre (centre for the WA Tuberculosis Control Program) on 9222 8500.