Panic ensued after a Pennsylvania high school student with tuberculosis returned to class without being cleared by his doctor.
The student had been diagnosed a few weeks ago, but showed up to class Monday in Washington County without a doctor’s permission.
Staff “immediately isolated the student and sent him home” after learning what had happened, according to a Jan. 13 Facebook post from Charleroi Area School District Superintendent Ed Zelich.
Employees “thoroughly cleaned the areas where the student was isolated,” Zelich wrote.
He added: “After reviewing the situation, (the Pennsylvania Department of Health) has confirmed that no public health measures are currently necessary for our district.”
However, outrage arose when parents and community members pointed to a previous Dec. 27 school statement saying there were “no cases of active tuberculosis” in their school district among staff or students.
Zelich concluded in his latest update that the school district is “closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with the appropriate health authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”
Tuberculosis is a serious and highly contagious disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Staff “immediately isolated the student and sent him home” after learning what had happened, according to a Facebook post from Charleroi Area School District Superintendent Ed Zelich (pictured), the January 13.
However, outrage arose when parents and community members highlighted a previous statement from the school on Dec. 27, saying there were “no cases of active tuberculosis” in their school district among staff or students.
The disease spreads through the air and settles in the lungs where it begins to grow, with the possibility of spreading through the blood to other parts of the body such as the brain, spine and kidneys.
TB germs can spread from person to person through the air when a person infected with active TB coughs, talks or sings, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It can stay in the air for several hours and is more likely to spread indoors or to areas with poor air circulation.
A person infected with the disease may not have any symptoms and cannot spread the disease. This is called inactive tuberculosis.
However, without treatment, inactive TB can progress to active TB.
Without treatment, active TB can be fatal.