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April 25, 2008

Central Falls reports second case of TB in high school

The state has announced another case of infectious tuberculosis at Central Falls High School.

Finding a second case was not surprising, State Health Director David Gifford said in a statement, because this second person had close contact with the last infected student, who was identified as ill in January.

"Central Falls faculty and staff will once again fully cooperate with the Department of Health as we gear up for this round of testing,” Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo said in a statement.

“We are fortunate indeed to have a process in place where every person at our high school will be screened,” he said.

Officials from the Centers for Disease and Control said because of the way TB spreads, Central Falls High School should not do another round of testing until June 1.

The DOH says it sees about 50 cases of active TB every year in Rhode Island. The infection comes from the mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which spreads through the air. It can cause disease in the lungs and other parts of the body, including loss of appetite, fatigue, coughing and other problems.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 10:51 AM | Permalink

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