Hundreds of students and staff at a suburban Georgia high school are being tested for a Victorian-era disease considered the world’s top infectious threat.
Health officials say up to 300 people may have been exposed to someone with an active tuberculosis infection at Walton High School in Cobb County, which is about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Those at risk received letters this week requiring them to be tested by the school nurse or bring back a written doctor’s note confirming their negative test.
TB is a bacterial lung infection that struck over 8million people worldwide last year through droplets from coughing or sneezing.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that TB is now the ‘leading infectious killer’ globally, surpassing Covid.
Though the fatality rate of TB globally is about one in six, deaths from the infection, which shares many initial symptoms of a standard cold or cough, are rare in in the US as it can typically be treated with antibiotics.
However, experts have warned the condition is on the rise in America due to growing poverty rates and a lack of testing.
The Cobb & Douglas County Public Health Department told local news network Channel 2 Action News that it, along with school administrators, have identified those who may have been exposed to TB.
However, the department and district did not reveal how many exactly were exposed or any identifying information.
A student who was not tested told the network that other students who were required to be tested were told at the beginning of the school day.
The unnamed student said: ‘Some kids got slips in their homeroom. I didn’t know there was that many.’
John Cullom, a parent of a Walton High School student, said: ‘I’m all for the testing, definitely do that. But it concerns me that it is in existence. That’s a worry.’
Health officials siad that any students or staff who did not get tested Tuesday would need to go to their doctor for a check and bring back a written report with the results.
The health department will return to the school Thursday to read and measure reactions to the tests.
A positive test would confirm exposure to active tuberculosis. The CDC estimates that as many as 13million Americans has inactive tuberculosis, also called latent tuberculosis, meaning they live with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis in their bodies but have no symptoms.
But latent TB may turn into active TB, which affected about 8,000 Americans in 2022 and killed just over 600. Though rare in the US, experts have warned TB is on the rise worldwide.
A CDC report found that 2023 saw the highest number of US cases in the last decade.
Experts have blamed a lack of testing and reporting, as well as increasing rates of poverty, as poor access to basic healthcare and crowded living conditions could increase the risk of the disease spreading.
Early symptoms include coughs, fevers, night sweats and weight loss.
But severe tuberculosis infection can kill by destroying the organs from the inside, causing them to bleed and fill with liquid.
Tuberculosis is particularly dangerous for immunocompromised people, like those undergoing chemotherapy, as well those who are generally more vulnerable such as young children and the elderly.
While there is a vaccine for TB, it is not generally used in the US, and protection wanes over time, according to the CDC.
Only people with active TB can spread it to each other through coughing, speaking, or singing.
