Students at Archbishop Riordan High School have to submit a negative tuberculosis test before they can attend school events
NEED TO KNOW
- Testing is underway at a posh San Francisco boarding school, where three people have active tuberculosis infections — and more than 50 have tested positive for latent ones
- Health officials say a “large-scale TB contact investigation” is underway
- Students must submit a negative TB test before attending school events
A tuberculosis outbreak has been reported at a posh San Francisco boarding school, prompting health officials to launch a “large scale” investigation.
Three people associated with the boarding school Archbishop Riordan High School have been confirmed to have active tuberculosis infections, according to an advisory issued by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which said that a “large-scale TB contact investigation” is underway. Officials add that “over 50 cases of latent TB infection (LTBI) have been identified within the school community and efforts are underway to assure preventive treatment for all these individuals.”
Latent infections refer to people who contracted TB, but never developed symptoms. As Cleveland Clinic explains, it may become active if their immune system is weakened.
Alejandro Rosales, a junior at the school, told KTVU that students who were in close proximity to an infected person were informed via an email. “They said we can’t be going to the basketball games if we haven’t gotten tested yet,” he said…