Sachem School District: No new confirmed cases of tuberculosis after one student tested positive
According to the Sachem School District, 116 students and seven staff members were identified as having had prolonged contact with the infected student, and were offered tests on Monday at the school’s East Campus.
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The community is on edge at Sachem High School East following confirmation that one student has tested positive for tuberculosis (TB). Health officials are now monitoring more than 120 individuals who may have been exposed to the disease.
According to the Sachem School District, 116 students and seven staff members were identified as having had prolonged contact with the infected student, and were offered tests on Monday at the school’s East Campus. Individuals who were tested received TB skin testing administered by the Suffolk County Health Department. Results from those tests typically take 48 hours to process.
So far, there have been no additional cases confirmed within the school community, but the investigation is ongoing.
Concerned parents are demanding more information and greater transparency from school and health officials. “What’s being done to ensure the safety of the kids when we, as parents or guardians, send them to school?” asked Janie Gallo, a Farmingville resident and parent.
Tuberculosis is a potentially serious bacterial infection that typically affects the lungs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says TB spreads through the air when a person with active TB disease coughs, sneezes or talks. Symptoms may include a persistent cough, chest pain, fatigue and fever.
As of now, the New York State Department of Health reports there have been 16 confirmed TB cases in Suffolk County and 18 in neighboring Nassau County this year — numbers that are consistent with last year’s data for the same time period.
Health officials say those initially tested this week will need to undergo another round of testing in July, once the standard two-month TB incubation period has passed.
