A "HANDFUL" of former patients have rung a telephone helpline set up after a tuberculosis scare.

Yesterday, bosses at Bishop Auckland General Hospital, in County Durham, revealed that they had written to 89 former patients warning them that they may have been exposed to TB spores.

It follows the discovery that a patient with the active, infectious form of TB had spent some time on a ward at the County Durham hospital.

Experts believe the chance of contracting TB under these circumstances is low.

But as a precaution, all the patients are being informed and warned to look out for symptoms of TB and report them to their doctor.

A smaller group of about 20 are being offered chest x-rays to check for the illness.

Martin Hutchinson, spokes-man for the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "So far, we have only had a handful of calls from patients."

He stressed that patients would be able to get advice by ringing the helpline at any time over the coming weeks.

As part of the precautions taken by the County Durham trust, occupational health specialists will shortly be writing to staff at the Bishop Auckland hospital who may have been in contact with the affected area, giving advice.

However, most NHS staff are routinely immunised against TB.

Mr Hutchinson said it was not uncommon for active TB cases to be found in hospitals.

"Most hospitals will have gone through this sort of thing before," he said.

Specialists have stressed that even if someone develops TB it can be treated by modern antibiotics.

TB is a bacterial disease which often attacks the lungs. It can be transmitted by coughs, sneezes and even talking.