Johnson County high school student diagnosed with tuberculosis, health officials say
Testing clinics were being organized at Olathe Northwest High School after a student was recently diagnosed with an active case of tuberculosis, Johnson County health officials said Monday.
Health officials were working to identify any additional contacts with the student, who as of Monday represented the sole known person with the lung infection. The case was being investigated by the county and state health departments.
“Olathe Public Schools, the Olathe Northwest staff, (the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are working closely together to investigate this case and assure that all precautions are being taken for the safety of all in the community,” the Johnson County health department said in a statement Monday.
In addition to the testing clinics, the health department said letters were being sent to families and an informational forum was being organized for the school community.
The student who fell ill with tuberculosis, a rare event in the U.S., was being treated with medication and complying with isolation precautions, according to the health department.
The airborne infection is commonly spread through frequent and close contact with a person who has an active case of tuberculosis. Symptoms may include a long cough, coughing blood, fever, chills or night sweats.
Treatments include the use of antibiotics over a period lasting between six and nine months. Patients stop being contagious within days or weeks of starting treatment, according to health officials.
There were 8,300 cases of tuberculosis across the nation in 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, there were 43 confirmed cases in Kansas.
