Active Tuberculosis Found at High School in North Bay

NORTH BAY, CA -- Solano County Public Health officials say they're working together with Armijo High School to respond to a case of active pulmonary tuberculosis disease, aka TB, associated with the school, and that a town hall-style public information meeting is scheduled for next week to address the issue.

The school and health department have released very little information on the case, including whether the afflicted person is a student, teacher or other type of school worker.

"In order to protect patient privacy and confidentiality, no specific information about the individual will be released by Solano Public Health or Armijo High School," the health department said in a Feb. 16 news release.

"The individual with active pulmonary TB disease is receiving treatment and will return to the school campus only after Public Health has provided clearance," Michael Stacey, MD, MPH, Deputy Health Officer and TB Controller for Solano County Health and Social Services, said in a prepared statement. “We want to reassure everyone that there is no ongoing risk of TB infection from the active TB case at this time.”

A letter was sent to all parents, guardians and staff today letting them know about the case of active TB case at the school. A second letter is expected to be mailed to parents, guardians and staff next week, letting them know if their children, and in the case of staff, themselves, have been identified as a close contact of the TB case.

Armijo High School Principal Eric Tretten said the school's fully cooperating with Solano Public Health.

"We are doing everything we can to identify everyone that the TB case has been in contact with so that they can be properly assessed by public health officials,” he said.

TB is a serious, treatable and slow-growing bacterial disease. It usually affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other parts of the body, including the brain, kidneys and spine. TB is transmitted person-to-person through microscopic droplets that enter the air when a person with active pulmonary TB disease coughs, sneezes, talks or sings. People who breathe in air containing TB bacteria can become infected; however, not everyone infected with TB becomes sick.

The most common way a person may become infected with TB is by spending a lot of time in an enclosed space with a person who has active pulmonary TB disease.

Officials with Solano County Public Health, Armijo High School and the school district are working together to schedule a TB screening / testing clinic at school and say that students, parents and staff will be notified of the clinic date, time and location when the second letter is mailed out next week.

In the meantime, a town-hall style public information meeting, including a question and answer period, will be hosted from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Armijo High School gymnasium, located at 824 Washington St. in Fairfield.

More information on TB is available at the California Department of Public Health at www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/tb/Pa... and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/tb/default.htm

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