Danielle Husband
Officials from George Bush High School in Rosenberg, Texas, have been working hard to determine how many members of the faculty and staff have been infected with the tuberculosis virus.
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After learning that four of their students had active TB infections at the end of May, the school sent letters to parents notifying them that the students and faculty had been exposed to the TB virus.
The school hosted a free testing event on Monday, June 19, in an effort to identify additional infections. Those results are in, and they have officials even more worried for the health of their students.
Six new cases have been confirmed, bringing the total number of TB cases to ten.
Of the 674 exposed individuals, only 228 students showed up for testing. Those numbers have officials worried that there could be more infected individuals going about their lives, unknowingly exposing others to the virus.
As the number of confirmed cases increases, it’s becoming more important that untested individuals come in for testing.
Unfortunately, officials are finding it difficult to track down the students and faculty who were exposed to the virus, as they are enjoying their summer vacations. A fraction of the parents were sent notifications that their students had been exposed to the virus, and only some of those parents brought their kids in to be tested.
Deputy director of the health department Dr. Kaye Reynolds told the Houston Chronicle, “It’s critical to identify everyone who’s been infected so we can get them on treatment.” While the disease can be treated, it’s deadly if left untreated.
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Fortunately for the six people who were just diagnosed, they were in the inactive stage of TB, meaning that it will be easier to treat the virus. However, they will still need treatment for about six to nine months.
Right now, individuals who were exposed to the virus can come in for testing at the Fort Bend health department at 4520 Reading Rd. through July 14. Additionally, the high school plans another testing event for August 3.
