JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County Health Department and the school district are formulating a plan to deal with the exposure of a Raines High School student who was hospitalized with tuberculosis.
The student has since been released.
The infected student was first diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia, and then the student's doctor made the TB diagnosis.
"The child has been ill for several months, in and out of school, really not present for a significant period of time due to illness or other circumstances," said Dr. Kelli Wells, director of the Duval County Health Department. "The smaller classes are the ones that are more concerning. The cafeteria, for instance, with a big area and ventilation, that isn't as concerning as a classroom of 30 students, therefore an hour every day (of exposure)."
About 150 students and staff from the school have been identified for testing, health officials said. Those exposed will be medically evaluated and offered therapy, if found to be infected, officials said. The tests will be done Wednesday and Thursday. It typically takes two to three days to get those blood tests back, which presents a complication for health officials. The last day of school before the holiday break is Thursday of this week. Any infected student will have to be contacted at home during the break and then treated.
An automated phone call went out to parents Monday alerting them to the case and preparing them to be on the lookout for more information.
The same call went out to parents of Englewood High School students on Monday, but the health department said it turned out there is not a case of TB at Englewood. Parents and students at the school will be receiving a letter Wednesday explaining that the tests came back negative at Englewood, according to Health Department officials.
TB is a disease caused by germs spread through the air from an infected person with active disease to people in very close contact for prolonged periods of time. TB germs are put in the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings. People who breathe in the air containing TB germs can become infected.
TB usually affects the lungs, yet may also affect other parts of the body. Symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood.
TB is diagnosed by a skin test or blood test, administered by your health care provider or local health department. A positive test usually means the person has been infected with the TB germ, however, it does not necessarily mean the person has active TB disease. Additional tests, such as an X-ray or sputum sample are needed to determine if the person has active TB disease. TB can be cured through proper medical treatment.
For more information, visit www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/tuberculosis/tb-faqs.html or www.cdc.gov/tb/.