Sacramento County Division of Public Health has confirmed that a student at Franklin High School and another at Franklin Elementary have been diagnosed with active TB. These students are related and contracted the disease from a family member in the same household; there is no evidence of transmission beyond the household. The two cases are not related to the Florin High TB case reported early last month. Both students are currently isolated at home and under care. There is no longer a risk to students and staff of exposure at either school.
Letters have been mailed to the parents of all students who may have been exposed. Currently, Public Health will only be testing students and staff who shared a classroom with the diagnosed students. Public Health has scheduled a time to provide screening tests at both schools to identified students and staff to detect inactive (latent) TB infection.
Exposure to a person with active disease must be prolonged for others to become infected with the germ. The majority of people who have been infected with TB do not progress to having active TB disease and are, therefore, unable to transmit the germ to others. Both inactive (latent) TB infection and active TB disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
"Public health is working closely with officials from both schools to proactively investigate and screen any potential exposures," said Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye. "These cases were caught early so the risk of contraction for students and staff is low."
A parent meeting is scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2015, 6:00 p.m. at the Franklin High School gymnasium.
If parents have concerns or questions, they may call Franklin Elementary at (916) 684-5632 or Franklin High School at (916) 714-8150.
For questions concerning Tuberculosis, please call (916) 875-5881.
*Technical advisory: An outbreak is defined as multiple confirmed or suspected cases from a community setting (outside a household) occurring within a relatively short period of time that may be linked. Since both students contracted the disease from a family member within the household, this does not meet the definition of an outbreak.
