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Active case of tuberculosis confirmed at Surprise charter school

According to a letter sent to parents, only high school students have been potentially exposed to tuberculosis at Imagine Prep school in Surprise

SURPRISE, Ariz. — A West Valley charter school confirmed that a person at the school has an active case of tuberculosis.

Imagine Prep in Surprise sent out a letter to parents Tuesday, informing them someone at the school has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. 

The school is not saying whether the person infected is a student or faculty member. However, the letter did say only high school students have been potentially exposed. 

School officials and staff from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health met with families on Wednesday to address concerns and answer questions about the TB case.

Tuberculosis is deadly if not treated, but family doctor Andrew Carroll says TB can be successfully treated if caught quickly.

"It produces a lot of lung problems. When you cough, you cough up blood. If not treated quickly, not only can it be deadly for you, but if you do survive, you may have a lot of lung issues afterwards," he said. 

Tuberculosis can be spread through the air to those in close proximity when a person with an active case of TB coughs. 

"It is quite contagious, it's not as contagious like measles and what not, but TB is pretty contagious if you're spending a lot of time with that person," Carroll said. 

While you don't hear about the bacterial illness often, it may be more common than you think. Here are the facts:

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there were 95 reported cases in Maricopa County in 2018. Statewide, there were almost 200. And across the country, 9,000 incidents were reported, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

"There is cause for concern, especially if they know the individual who has the TB, whether or not any other children or any other adults who are exposed to that person who brought it into the school, everybody there should be tested," Carroll said. 

According to the letter, the school is providing free screenings to people who may have been exposed and will provide additional testing and treatment for anybody who tests positive. 

You can read the full letter to parents below:

There is a vaccine against tuberculosis that's used in some countries. But it is not widely used in the U.S. because it hasn't been found to be very effective

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