CHESTER, S.C. — South Carolina health officials say a case of tuberculosis (TB) has been detected at Chester High School.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) said it is working with school leadership to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the TB germ and need to be tested. Both DHEC and Chester High have started a contact investigation and will reach out to people for testing.
Anyone who has TB can treat it with antibiotics.
DHEC notes TB is usually found in the lungs and is spread through the air from person to person. Without treatment for latent TB infection, about 10% of people infected will develop tuberculosis disease sometime in their lifetime.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says typical TB cases require about 180 days, or roughly six months, of medication. That's on top of X-rays, lab tests, and follow-up and contact testing.
DHEC says South Carolina has had an average of 87 TB cases within the last five years. Annually, there are more than 1.4 million TB-related deaths worldwide.
There is a distinction between TB infection and TB disease. DHEC says people with a latent TB infection have the germs in their bodies but aren't sick because the germs aren't active. They also don't have symptoms of TB disease and can't spread the germs to others. However, the germs' presence can lead to TB disease developing later in life. People who have the latent infection are often prescribed treatment to prevent the disease from developing.
Meanwhile, people who have the TB disease have active germs multiplying and destroying tissue in the body. DHEC says these people do show symptoms and can spread germs to others. Patients are prescribed drugs to treat the disease.
Symptoms of TB include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
Anyone who has these symptoms should either see a family doctor or call their local public health department and talk to a TB nurse.
TB is not limited to the lungs; DHEC notes you can get TB anywhere in the body, including in your lymph nodes, bladder, kidney, bones, joints, and skin.
DHEC also says medication to treat TB works for most people, with the common prescription involving four different pills plus a vitamin pill. TB medications are free if you get them from a public health department.