26 Las Vegas schools may have been exposed to tuberculosis
People with active tuberculosis visited 26 schools in Las Vegas over the course of a year, exposing more than 600 people to the respiratory disease.
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Patients with active tuberculosis visited 26 schools in the Las Vegas area over a year, exposing more than 600 people to the infectious respiratory disease.
Public health officials this month began investigating whether tuberculosis, which has a long incubation period, had spread to the desert region during that period. School officials have begun contacting people who may have been exposed to the disease.
The person, who public health officials declined to identify, is currently in isolation and receiving treatment, Southern Nevada Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore wrote in an email. Officials did not say why the person visited so many school sites or whether the person was a student, parent or staff member. They also refused to provide the person’s date of diagnosis.
The infected person had symptoms for more than a year before being diagnosed with tuberculosis, said Sizemore of the health district. Public health departments in Las Vegas and the surrounding area began investigating the infection on December 4. The individual visited more than 20 campuses at various times without knowing he was infected.
Health officials began notifying people at these campuses based on whether they were in the area during the time the person was present. Sizemore said they are investigating the extent to which the infected person may have had contact with other students at each school.
In a letter to parents Thursday, the school indicated that health officials will coordinate testing of students and staff who may have had close contact, local television stations reported. KLAS 8 News Now.
There were no known exposures at the eight elementary school campuses. However, public health officials said a varying number of people may have been infected at 17 local elementary, middle and high schools and the Clark County School District training field. update on friday.
Parent’s nightmare: Tuberculosis outbreak in Omaha infects 500 children and staff at YMCA
The school, Ruth Deskin Elementary School in northwest Las Vegas, has issued a widespread notification of a possible outbreak, the health district said.
Testing at Descan is expected to begin for all students in January, Sizemore said. Based on the duration of the infection, it will likely take some time for health officials to detect infections among students and staff. In the 2022-2023 school year, Deskkin had 475 students, according to the district. report.
Other campuses began testing individuals this week, but those schools were expected to test far fewer students and staff.
Sizemore said the health district plans to use blood tests to detect tuberculosis.
“The health district emphasizes that not everyone who may be infected will become infected, and not everyone with tuberculosis will have active disease,” a statement from the health district said. ing. “Tuberculosis screening and testing is provided to identify cases of latent tuberculosis infection.”
The health district says people with latent infections do not show signs or symptoms of the disease. They are not sick and cannot spread the disease to others.
The Clark County School District said in an email that it is assisting the health district with its investigation.
Previous contact with 500 children by Nebraska day care staff
This type of mass exposure is rare, but not unheard of. In recent months, cases of tuberculosis have occurred in the following areas: Kansas, north carolina and Washington Schools where hundreds of people could be infected.
In November, Nebraska officials tested more than 500 children and staff at the Omaha YMCA drop-in day care center for possible exposure to tuberculosis. This outbreak has created a public health emergency.
The incubation period for tuberculosis is 2 to 10 weeks. In Omaha, the exposures appear to have occurred between May and October. Because the infected person’s onset date was in late August, authorities had to go back as far as May to arrest someone who may have become ill in the past few months but had not thought tuberculosis was the cause.
People infected with tuberculosis can spread it to others by coughing, sneezing, talking or singing, Lindsay Hughes, the Douglas County, Nebraska, health director, said in a Nov. 9 letter. Ta. When these actions are performed, bacteria are transferred from the infected person’s lungs and become airborne in the air that other people breathe.
What are the symptoms of tuberculosis?
Symptoms of tuberculosis include:
- Cough that lasts for weeks
- Cough with blood or sputum.
- Chest pain.
- Fatigue or weakness.
- Chills, fever, night sweats.
- No appetite or weight loss.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 8,300 cases reported Nationwide in 2022.
Eduardo Cuevas covers health and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can contact him at: EMCuevas1@usatoday.com.