Cumberland County Health Officials Investigate Tuberculosis Case at Local High School
The Cumberland County Department of Public Health is currently looking into a tuberculosis case at Seventy-First High School, which may have exposed over 250 individuals to the infection.
Health officials received notification of a confirmed tuberculosis case on September 11 and are collaborating with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as well as Cumberland County Schools to pinpoint others who might have been exposed.
So far, authorities have identified 260 individuals who possibly had close contact with the infected person.
Parents of students attending Seventy-First were informed on Wednesday. Specific details about the infected individual were not disclosed. Letters were distributed to students deemed as potential close contacts.
The health department is working to provide screening details for anyone who may have been in close proximity to the affected person.
“All individuals who have had close contact with the affected person have been reached out to by a public health nurse from the County Health Department or Cumberland County Schools,” stated the health officials.
Active tuberculosis typically impacts the lungs. Those who are ill with TB may experience various symptoms, including:
- A cough lingering for over three weeks
- Coughing up blood
- Fever
- Excessive night sweats, often soaking bed sheets
- Unexpected weight loss
- Poor appetite
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Breathing difficulties
More updates will follow as the situation develops.
