MODESTO, Calif. — A high schooler in Modesto has been placed under medical care after officials confirmed the student was diagnosed with active tuberculosis [TB].
“Public Health is working closely with school officials to proactively investigate and test students who may have been exposed,” Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, Public Health Officer for Stanislaus County, said in a statement.
Parents of all students have been sent informative letters and the county's Public Health Department will test students and school staff who shared a classroom with the student. Screening tests are being provided at the school to detect any inactive TB infection.
County officials said there is no longer a risk of exposure to students and staff at the school.
What is Tuberculosis
Stanislaus County Public Health officials said TB is caused by a bacteria transmitted through the air. When a person with TB coughs, talks, or sings, droplets with bacteria become airborne. Those droplets can then be inhaled by others, however the county said an infection usually requires significant contact.
Some people who inhale the droplets can become infected and some of those infected will develop active TB disease if they don't get treatment to prevent it.
The county said transmission of TB bacteria is usually limited to family members, close friends, and people with sustained close contact.
For more information on TB:
- Call the Public Health Tuberculosis Program at (209) 558-7535, weekdays 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- California Department of Public Health (CDPH),
- Stanislaus County Public Health
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