The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Region 8 has
recently identified a case of tuberculosis, or TB, in a student who happens to
attend CC Winn High School. DSHS staff will hold informational meetings
for concerned parents, in English and Spanish, on March 3, 2016, at 6:00 pm, at
CC Winn High School.
To prevent any other people from getting TB, DSHS Region 8 will
perform TB testing for students, faculty, and staff identified as potentially
exposed to TB. Only people with prolonged, close contact with a person
who has TB need to be tested. DSHS will identify who needs a test and
notify those people by letter during the week of March 7-11, 2016.
Parents of students who need a test will also receive a testing
permission slip that must be signed and returned. The testing will occur
during the week of 21-25 March 2016. The tests will be free for people
who may have been exposed.
No one who might have been exposed to TB is in immediate danger.
TB is not easily spread and, when it does, develops very slowly.
The TB test identifies those who have TB infection so they can be
treated. The test is very accurate, but works best 8-10 weeks after
exposure. Anyone who tests positive will need medical treatment to
prevent them from getting sick. This treatment will be provided free by
DSHS.
TB is spread by germs that float in the air. The germs get
into the air when a person with TB coughs, shouts, or sneezes. Nearby
people can inhale TB germs into their lungs.
TB germs can live in your body without making you sick. This is called TB infection. Your immune system traps the TB germs and keeps them from causing disease. Sometimes the TB germs break out of the trap and spread in the body. The germs can attack the lungs or other parts of the body. This is called TB disease. Someone with TB disease may have a cough that won’t go away, feel weak, lose weight, have a fever, sweat a lot at night, or even cough up blood.
With proper medical treatment, a person with TB infection will not get TB disease, and a person with TB disease will get better.
