Student recovering from tuberculosis returned without doctor's clearance, Charleroi Area superintendent says
CHARLEROI, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Charleroi Area School District superintendent is notifying the families of high school students after a teen recovering from tuberculosis returned to class on Monday without clearance from doctors, the district said.
Superintendent Dr. Edward Zelich is sending a letter home to district families informing them of the incident. the notice is posted on the district's website and Facebook page.
The student was "diagnosed with tuberculosis a couple of weeks ago," the superintendent said. However, they returned to the school building Monday morning without clearance from a doctor.
Student isolated, school cleaned
The superintendent said staff members isolated the student and then sent them home.
Staff members have cleaned the areas of the school where the student was present, the superintendent said.
"Please know that we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with the appropriate health authorities to ensure our students and staff's safety and well-being," Dr. Zelich said.
He, along with the high school's principals and nurses are working with Pennsylvania Health Department officials in Monessen. Those officials have reviewed the incident and said, "no public health action is currently necessary" for the district.
However, department officials said they would notify them if that changes.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health said in a statement to KDKA, "When a suspected communicable disease is reported, the Department of Health works with a school district to investigate and determine whether additional public health measures are needed to prevent or control it. It is important to note that not all cases are infectious.
"Due to Pennsylvania confidentiality laws, we are unable to provide additional information about a report of disease or the result of a disease investigation."
"The Department of Health provides extensive public health information related to TB online and follows CDC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of TB," Neil Ruhland, the department's deputy press secretary, said.
Do children need to be vaccinated for tuberculosis?
UPMC Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, Dr. Graham Snyder said that while he could not comment on this case directly, he did say that children in the United States are not required to be vaccinated against tuberculosis.
"Usually, two weeks after receiving treatment, someone's contagiousness drops dramatically," he explained.
He said we see a low volume of cases in the country, but when a case happens, public health leaders document it and do contact tracing to see if anyone has been exposed. In this particular case, state leaders said no public health action is required.
"Working with the household, the employers, the schools, and whatever other community settings the person may have been in, we track down people who may have been exposed to the bacteria," Dr. Graham said.
On December 27, the district sent its letter to families addressing rumors of an outbreak. The letter said that it was not the case and district worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to confirm that at the time, there were no active cases of tuberculosis.
Because of the letter, some parents and families expressed concern about the letter that was sent on Monday.
Again, the superintendent stressed there are no active cases in the district.