TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Parents of 26 babies in New Taipei City are enraged at not being informed of the occurrence of a tuberculosis (TB) case at a postpartum care center until four months later.

A worker at a postpartum care facility in New Taipei’s Xizhi District was diagnosed with the infectious disease in April, which meant 26 infants that may have been exposed to the disease were given TB medications as a preventive measure. Their parents were left in the dark about the incident until August, reported UDN.

The nursing center cited instructions by the health authorities for the delay in informing parents about the case, in a statement on Friday (Aug. 13). It said the employee with TB had not visited the institute after the diagnosis and that contact tracing and disinfection were in compliance with protocols.

The city’s health department determined there was no need to tell the parents immediately because “the disease does not spread easily and the diagnosis could be inaccurate.” The late notice was also intended to avoid the families visiting hospitals for checkups and increasing the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 when the virus started to surge in May.

The infants have all received X-rays and will do so again after 12 months, while they will need to take medications for nine months.