This article was first published KCRA.com.
DAVIS, Calif. — The University of California, Davis announced that a case of contagious tuberculosis has been confirmed in the Davis area and contact tracing is underway to prevent the spread of the disease.
News release from the university It did not say when the person was identified as having active TB. Campus health officials said they are working to identify people who have been in contact with an infected person for a total of eight hours or more as close contacts. Close contacts should be tested for tuberculosis.
Symptoms of active tuberculosis include a cough that lasts more than three weeks, chest pain or hemoptysis, weakness or fatigue, loss of weight or appetite, chills, fever, and sweating at night, UC Davis said.
advertisement
Article continues below this ad
Most people with tuberculosis have an inactive infection that is not contagious, and the University of California, Davis said the risk of infection in the general community is low.
UC Davis said it is working with the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency on contact tracing efforts.
“Not everyone who comes into contact with an active TB patient will become infected. There are many factors at play,” said Dr. Amy Sisson with the Yolo County Public Health Department.
She said this includes how contagious the original infected person was, how small the room someone may have been exposed to, how long someone was exposed, and the exposed person’s immune system.
advertisement
Article continues below this ad
“So all of this boils down to determining whether an exposed person develops an infection,” she said.
It is unclear how many people have been identified as close contacts so far. Asked by KCRA 3 for more information, a university spokesperson did not respond to the question or say when the patient was first confirmed to have active tuberculosis.
This story is developing.