SACRAMENTO-
A Florin High School student is in isolation after being diagnosed with active Tuberculosis on Friday.
Tuesday marks when Sacramento county public health officials will start testing about 150 students and staff who came in close contact with the student with TB.
“TB is treatable. It is a very serious disease but it is very treatable especially when the person takes the treatment early,” said Sacramento County Health Officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye.
Kasirye says more tests may need to be done after results come back and the Elk Grove school district insists the risk of further spread is low.
“Right now there is no exposure because the particular student is no longer on campus. They are at home and under care,” said Xanthi Pinkerton, spokesperson for Elk Grove Unified school district.
School officials sent out robo-calls and letters to parents. Monday night they held an information session for parents at the high school library.
This is not the first Tuberculosis scare in Sacramento, as a similar situation happened last year at Grant High School. The health department says it will use the same approach responding to this new case at Florin High School.
Results for the 150 people being tested for TB are expected by Friday afternoon or early next week.
The health department says it is safe for students to be at school now because TB does not live on surfaces, it is spread through the air.
