Brentwood Borough School District Reports 5 Employees Test Positive For Tuberculosis
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Brentwood Borough School District is reporting that five employees have tested positive for tuberculosis.
The tests were conducted after the school district and the Allegheny County Health Department learned of an active tuberculosis case in a Brentwood High School student who has been attending school remotely since the start of the academic year.
Related: Brentwood High School Student Treated For Tuberculosis
The school district says the student is no longer infectious and has been taking medication to treat the illness. The employees are also not infectious, according to the school district.
Brentwood Borough School District says it has been working to identify people who have been in close contact with the student through Zoom calls and phone calls. The school district says if a family has not been reached out to by a phone call and email, then they were not in close contact with the affected student.
More testing will be done on November 16 and November 17.
"TB investigations begin at the center of a bullseye target," Superintendent Dr. Amy Burch wrote in a letter to parents. "If a positive test is detected in the center of the bullseye the investigation moves to the next circle on the target to include those with close contact with the person who had a positive TB test. The pattern is repeated until no positive TB tests are identified."
Another Zoom information session will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9 with another one to be scheduled after the school district learns of the results of students' tuberculosis tests.
Brentwood Borough School District says that tuberculosis is rare and treatable with antibiotics, and it has consistent symptoms including a cough of longer than three weeks, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, chills, fever and coughing up blood.
"As to cases involving specific individuals, please understand that while the District and ACHD are attempting to resolve this matter, students and employee privacy must be respected," Superintendent Dr. Amy Burch wrote. "The District will take all action to protect public health, but the privacy rights of those impacted will be maintained."
The school district advised those with questions about testing and tuberculosis to contact the Allegheny County Health Department Pulmonary Center at 412-578-8162.
