Tuberculosis patient possibly exposed hundreds at Georgia school, amid global rise
A student sick with tuberculosis could have exposed hundreds at a Georgia high school, amid an alarming global spread of the disease.
Local public health officials identified the infected student at Walton High School, in Marietta, the Cobb County School District told Paste BN in an email.
The student with the bacterial disease had contact with about 200 students and faculty, prompting public health officials in Cobb and Douglas counties to conduct tuberculin skin tests Tuesday, according to Valerie Crow, a spokesperson for the local public health department, said.
Crow declined to say more about how or when the student contracted tuberculosis, citing patient confidentiality laws.
On Thursday, public health officials returned to Walton High and determined that no one had tested positive. Still, everyone who tested negative will need to get another test to confirm this in eight to 10 weeks, Crow said.
The school, which has nearly 2,700 students, plans to notify people about the date and time to get retested. Students unable to get tested Tuesday must seek testing from a private physician and provide written confirmation to the school, Crow said.
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium and spreads through germs from infected people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When they cough, sneeze or speak, those germs float in the air which others may inhale. Exposure typically requires being in a small, enclosed area for an extended time.
The disease typically targets people’s lungs, although it can also affect the brain, spine and kidneys. It can affect different parts of the body at the same time. Not everyone with tuberculosis becomes sick, and signs of illness sometimes appear gradually over months.
Tuberculosis was once a common respiratory illness in the U.S. and contributed to numerous deaths each year. In the last 100 years, infections and deaths dropped dramatically due to concerted public health efforts focused on detection and early treatment.
Increases in U.S. and globally
The U.S. has seen an uptick in tuberculosis cases since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, there were over 9,600 provisional cases, compared with less than 8,900 in 2019, according to a CDC report in March. Disruptions in health care during the pandemic, followed by the post-pandemic return to travel and migration likely contributed to these increases, said Dr. Richard Chaisson, director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Tuberculosis Research.
Tuberculosis has increased globally as well.
A World Health Organization report issued Tuesday estimated 8.2 million people were newly diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2023, the highest number since the organization began monitoring for the disease in 1995. In 2023, tuberculosis overtook COVID-19 as the most deadly infectious disease, the report said.
“The global numbers are depressing because they’re steadily not dropping,” Chaisson told Paste BN.
Still, there are some promising signs globally. There were fewer tuberculosis deaths: 1.32 million fatalities in 2022 and 1.25 million in 2023. Officials also saw a reduction in sickness and death of people from drug-resistant tuberculosis. The number of people with HIV/AIDS who died from tuberculosis also declined.
The U.S. provides the most aid to fight the disease globally, according to the WHO. The disease thrives in crowded conditions and is prone to take hold in impoverished areas where people lack access to medical care or proper nutrition.
The U.S. is equipped to detect and treat cases easily. However, much of the world lacks such public health tools.
“That’s just not done in many countries,” Chaisson said. “It needs to be done. That’s why it’s so persistent.”
Symptoms of active tuberculosis:
- persistent cough for weeks;
- cough with blood;
- chest pain;
- fatigue or weakness;
- chills, fever or night sweats;
- no appetite, weight loss.
People with inactive tuberculosis can develop active disease at any time. People typically have a regimen with their doctor to treat tuberculosis using antibiotic medications that can kill the germs, the CDC said.