A Santa Maria High School student has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB), the school district and Santa Barbara County Public Health Department announced this morning.
Officials from both organizations are working with the family to make sure the ill student receives treatment and that others are screened to rule out TB infection.
The Public Health Department is conducting an investigation to identify people who had close contact with the student and therefore might have been exposed to the disease. The testing process includes skin or blood testing, with the potential for chest X-rays. Both active TB and TB exposure are treatable with medication.
Public health officials will hold a meeting to discuss TB symptoms and prevention on Friday in the Santa Maria High School cafeteria from 7 to 8 p.m. The school is located at 901 S. Broadway in Santa Maria.
For more information, call the Public Health Department at 681-5280.
This article appears in Apr 3-10, 2014.