Case of tuberculosis confirmed at Durham high school
(The Star Travel)

A case of tuberculosis has been confirmed at a Durham District School Board high school.Parents whose children attend O’Neill CVI in Oshawa say they received an email notice on Tuesday.In a note on the DDSB website, the board says the student with tuberculosis is “on treatment and doing well,� and says the general student population is not at risk.“The Health Department assures us that the general school population is at very low risk of exposure,� the note reads. “Only those with close, prolonged contact (i.e. spent a lot of time in close contact with the individual who was ill) are at risk and should be tested for TB.�DDSB officials said privacy laws prevent them from providing details about the ill student or the circumstances of his/her illness.The Durham Region Health Department is working with the DDSB to identify people who were in contact with the student in question.People who need to be tested for tuberculosis will receive a phone call or letter from the health department — those who are not contacted do not need testing.Screening clinics will be held July 16 and 17 for those who require tuberculin skin testing — results will be provided at followup clinics on July 18 and 19.The clinics are by appointment only.Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria.It can be spread from person to person when someone has active tuberculosis in the lungs coughs or sneezes.The health department says tuberculosis is not easily spread — people usually have to have prolonged, close contact with a person who is sick.Symptoms include a cough that lasts more than three weeks, fever and chills, night sweats, weight loss and feeling more tired than usual.Health department staff will provide information about tuberculosis at a meeting for the school community on Wednesday, July 11 at 6 p.m. at O’Neill CVI.For more information, call the Durham Health Connection Line at 905-666-6241.