Health Department: Pittsburgh Public School Student Diagnosed With Tuberculosis
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Officials with the Allegheny County Health Department say a student at Pittsburgh South Hills 6-8 Middle School has been diagnosed with tuberculosis.
"I've been in practice for almost 25 years and I think I've seen probably one or two positive tuberculosis skin tests in my life in children," Dr. Jennifer Preiss, of Allegheny General Hospital, said.
KDKA's Amy Wadas Reports (Feb. 9, 2015):
Doctors say people with weak immune systems are more prone to the infection. In this case, health officials aren't sure how the student came down with TB.
"They need to track down where this child was exposed. Whether it was an elderly grandparent or a parent or if they were in contact with another student that had exposure from outside the United States or another party of the country," Preiss said.
Health officials and the district have already begun identifying people who may have come in contact with the student.
You either need to be coughed on, sneezed on or some kind of sputum or liquid droplet needs to be exchanged," Preiss said.
Symptoms include fever, chills, weight loss and a cough that lasts several weeks. A TB test will tell you if you've been exposed within 48 to 72 hours after the test.
"So you'll see this little bubble form. And that's the protein being placed intradermally and that's normal looking. Sometimes it bleeds a little," she said.
If you've been exposed to TB, the bubble will become red and a lump will form. If it is red but stays flat, that generally means you are having an allergic reaction, but are not exposed to TB. If it stays flat and there are no color changes, that's a negative TB test.
But doctor Preiss says parents need to remain calm.
"I think this is an isolated case. I don't think it's going to become an epidemic," Preiss said.
A meeting for parents will be held on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Brashear High School auditorium. Free TB screenings will be available to students at South Hills Middle School on February 17.
KDKA's Lynne Hayes-Freeland has more on the meeting (Feb. 10, 2015):
In a news release, the director of the Health Department, Dr. Karen Hacker says: "Our main priority is to provide facts and testing as needed to keep the community safe and healthy. While tuberculosis is transmitted through the air, someone can only catch TB by being in very close contact with a contagious individual for an extended amount of time. We are grateful for the cooperation and assistance of the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration, and the staff of South Hills 6-8, and have been glad to see their proactive response to this health issue."
Officials recommend everyone take the test just to be on the safe side.
In a statement, Pittsburgh Schools Superintendent Linda Lane says: "We are thankful for the Health Department's guidance and support in addressing this health concern for our families. We take the health and safety of our students as one of our top priorities and are committed informed throughout this process."
Dr. Preiss joined the "KDKA Morning News" with Larry Richert and John Shumway to further elaborate on Tuberculosis.
She said that Tuberculosis, "Can be very serious, and that's why there was a major public health movement to eradicate this disease. It is very infrequent in the United States; much more of a third world country disease, so seeing it in a child is somewhat alarming."
She also points out that the outbreak of measles, mumps and other diseases, "is something completely different" from this case of tuberculosis.
She blames the outbreak of measles and mumps on, "the growing population of parents who are making decisions not to vaccinate their children."
She calls the cause of tuberculosis an "isolated incident" and with the quick action of the Health Department, she doesn't think it will affect that many people long term.
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