PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) – The Allegheny County Health Department confirmed that a student at Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8 has active tuberculosis.
The student, who is not currently in school while receiving medical treatment for the illness, is expected to return to normal activities.
The ACHD said in a press release that they are identifying individuals who may have been in close contact with the infected student to make sure “they are evaluated, tested, and treated appropriately.”
According to the Allegheny County Health Department, Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious bacterial disease that is spread only through the air from one person to another. The only way for the disease to be contract is to be extremely close to an infected person when they cough, sneeze, sing, or talk, and you breathe in the bacteria. TB cannot be spread through food or drink, through clothing, or skin contact like shaking hands or hugging. It also cannot be spread via surfaces.
While the ACHD identifies and contacts people at risk, anyone who believes they are ill should seek medical attention. Sympomths of TB include a cough that lasts longer than three weeks, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, chills, fever, and coughing up blood.
TB is both preventable and curable, and is typically treated for six-to-nice months with antibiotics.
For more information about tuberculosis, call the ACHD at 412-687-ACHD (2243).
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