SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County health officials today confirmed a case of tuberculosis at Olympian High School in Chula Vista, and said they were working with Sweetwater Union High School District officials to notify people who may have been exposed.
The period of potential exposure was between Feb. 15 and May 15, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency. No details about the patient were released.
Tuberculosis is transmitted person-to-person through indoor air during prolonged contact with an infected individual. Most people who are exposed do not become infected, officials said. Free testing for students who may have been exposed will take place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the school.
County public health officer Wilma Wooten recommended that everyone who may have been exposed get tested, even if they aren't experiencing symptoms.``For anyone infected, early diagnosis and prompt treatment can prevent disease,'' she said.
Symptoms of active tuberculosis include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. The disease can be treated and cured with antibiotics.
The number of annual tuberculosis cases in the county has stabilized in recent years after a previous high mark in the early 1990s. There were 258 cases reported in 2016 and 237 in 2017. So far, 75 cases have been reported in 2018.