Tuberculosis (TB) Exposure at Meridian High School:  TB Testing Recommendations

December 4, 2024

Central District Health (CDH) has confirmed that exposure to TB may have occurred at Meridian High School in Meridian between August and November 2024. There is no ongoing risk, and people are safe to attend school and school events as usual.

CDH is working with Meridian High School and the West Ada School District to conduct a contact investigation to identify if any TB transmission might have occurred at the school. In the next few days, letters will be sent to all individuals who potentially had exposure and need TB testing.

Providers should be prepared to receive questions or requests for TB testing from people associated with Meridian High School. CDH recommends TB testing only be performed on staff or students who receive a letter indicating they were potentially exposed.

Testes

O teste de infecção por TB é realizado com um teste cutâneo de tuberculina (TST, também chamado de PPD) ou um exame de sangue (IGRA, como o T-SPOT). Observe:

• Se uma pessoa tiver tido um teste TST ou IGRA positivo anteriormente, ela não deve ser testada novamente, pois o resultado provavelmente será sempre positivo.
• Se a pessoa tiver recebido a vacina BCG, recomenda-se um exame de sangue, pois o teste tuberculínico pode ter um resultado falso positivo.
• Para uma pessoa exposta a alguém com tuberculose ativa, o teste tuberculínico é positivo quando o endurecimento é de 5 mm ou mais.

Active TB cannot be diagnosed with these tests alone. People who have a positive test for TB infection must have a symptom review and chest x-ray. Common symptoms for active TB are chronic cough, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss lasting three weeks or more. If you are concerned a patient might have active TB, call the Epidemiology Program at 208-327-8625.

CDH is also offering testing to people identified through this contact investigation if they do not have barriers to accessing medical care.

Para perguntas ou informações adicionais, acesse https://www.cdc.gov/tb/testing/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/testing/default.htm or call the Epidemiology Program at 208-327-8625.