OLATHE, Kan. — Dozens of more people will need to undergo testing for tuberculosis while health officials continue their investigation at Olathe Northwest High School. The Kansas and Johnson County health departments say that 75 more people from the school will be tested on April 8, which follows an initial test of more than 300 people on March 11 after one student was diagnosed with active TB disease on March 3.
Initial testing revealed that 27 people at the school tested positive for TB infection, which is not contagious. The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment stated in a news release that it identified a commonality among the positive cases, and due to the commonality, the investigation now includes the additional 75 people that need screening.
FOX 4 previously reported that while the student with active TB disease hadn’t been in school since being diagnosed, there could still be more cases of infection. It can take eight to 10 weeks for the bacteria to show up in testing.
People who have TB infection are not contagious and do not feel sick, for more information, click on this link.
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