HHS freshman diagnosed with tuberculosis

Homewood City Schools was notified today by the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) that a freshmen student at Homewood High School has been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

A press conference was held at the Board of Education at 4 p.m. to discuss the disease and the school's plan of action in treating and preventing cases.

Dr. Ed Khan with the health department said that the case was identified yesterday afternoon and that the school system was informed Tuesday afternoon.

The school will be offering a TB skin test to all interested students and staff members tomorrow, Wednesday, March 25, in order to allow the results to be read before the Spring Break holiday. Khan and Superintendent Bill Cleveland said that they encourage all students and staff to be tested.

"If a student has been in the same vicinity as [the student that tested positive], they should be tested," Khan said.

Khan also said that there is currently no need for parents or other family members of students to be tested. The TB skin test will take two days to react, if positive. The health department will check tests on Friday to determine if there are any more cases. Students and staff who test positive will have a chest X-ray. 

A letter of information along with the skin test permission form was given to HHS students this afternoon. The letter of information and the permission can also be found on the homepage of the HHS website: http://goo.gl/wjr419.  

According to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TB is one of the world's deadliest diseases. It is caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person in the air. The general symptoms include feelings of weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. The symptoms can also include coughing, chest pain and the coughing up of blood. In most cases, TB is treatable and curable; however, persons with TB can die if they do not get proper treatment.

Any students or staff experiencing symptoms during testing tomorrow will be given an immediate chest X-ray. 

A parent information meeting will be held at the Board of Education, 450 Dale Ave. at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. Parents are encouraged to come with questions for the school and health department.

For more information, visit homewood.k12.al.us.