The San Diego County Health and Human Services agency is working to notify people possibly exposed to tuberculosis at Montogomery High School and Mission Bay High School.
Sweetwater Union High School District and San Diego Unified School District notified individuals at high risk of exposure to tuberculosis. They are arranging no-cost TB screening for those who are at risk of infection. Although students and staff with increased risk for exposure have been identified, others may have been exposed, the county warns.
According to county officials, the period of possible exposure at Montgomery High School runs from April 2 through Sept. 16 and June 17 to July 10 at Mission Bay High School.
​“Symptoms of active tuberculosis most commonly include persistent cough, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss,” said County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H. “Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. Some who become infected with TB will become ill at some point in the future, sometimes even years later. Blood tests and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tuberculosis is an airborne disease that transmits from person to person through the inhalation of bacteria. When a person breathes in teberculosis bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow. From there, they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain.
Tuberculosis disease in the lungs or throat can be infectious. This means that the bacteria can spread to other people. Tuberculosis in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or spine, is usually not infectious.
People with tuberculosos disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day. This includes family members, friends, coworkers, or schoolmates.
Individuals who would like more information on this potential exposure should call the San Diego County TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621.
