High school student tests positive for tuberculosis

[Cadfael]

From the Chicago Tribune:

A Wheaton North High School student diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis will miss at least three weeks of classes, and the school will test dozens of students and teachers for the disease, school officials said Monday.

Letters were sent last week notifying parents that a student has the airborne illness, which can cause fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss and a cough that lasts more than three weeks.

Skin testing will be offered Monday to about 300 people who came in close contact with the infected student. Parents of students who had contact with the student in class, at lunch or on the bus received an additional letter requesting permission for testing at school.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0603140241mar14,1,399982.story?coll=chi-newslocalwest-hed

Scary stuff....I just got a letter in the mail about it..my daughter's a sophomore there. And of course, she's just getting over a cold and has the cough-from-hell

[mopinko]

1. bah, not that scary

unless this kid has a drug resistant strain. it is a pretty simple to treat disease, as long as people are not in some sort of unstable situation.
i feel sorry for that kid's mom, tho. a teenager who is out of school for weeks on end-
:scared: :scared: :scared: