All articles tagged with #tuberculosis
Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools middle campuses reported exposure concerns: one tuberculosis case at Alexander Graham Middle School and one whooping cough case at Carmel Middle School. CMS says it is working with the Mecklenburg County Health Department to notify potentially exposed individuals and follow health officials’ protocols.
Dallas County and the Texas Department of State Health Services are investigating a possible tuberculosis exposure at MacArthur High School in Irving. As a precaution, TB testing is advised for returning 10th–12th graders who attended the school during the 2025–2026 year; 9th graders, new students, or those already tested are not required to retest. Officials say the overall risk to the public is low and emphasize that latent TB can cause no symptoms, but testing helps identify and treat any cases.
Colorado’s public health department issued a public health order forcing GEO Group and ICE to provide records, contacts and transfer information for a suspected TB case at the Aurora detention center, after weeks of resistance. The goal is to confirm exposure and protect public health; ICE says there are no active TB cases, while advocates and lawmakers push for transparency amid related lawsuits and ongoing scrutiny of private detention facilities.
A confirmed tuberculosis case at Summerville High School in Dorchester County has led to contact tracing and notifications to potentially exposed families about testing options. TB spreads mainly through close contact, not casual encounters; only a minority exposed may develop disease in the first year or two. Families are advised to monitor for symptoms (prolonged cough, fever, night sweats) and consult a clinician, while practicing basic preventive measures like staying home when sick and maintaining good hygiene.
San Diego County health officials warn of potential exposure to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) linked to California State University San Marcos between Dec. 15, 2025 and May 14, 2026, with additional brief exposures on the North County Transit District Sprinter on May 18, 20, 26, and 27, 2026. If you may have been exposed, contact the County TB Prevention and Care Program for screening (call 619-692-8621). TB can be latent or active; early testing and treatment are important. MDR-TB is more challenging to treat but curable with the right medications. County TB cases have risen in recent years; callers can learn more from public health officials.
Fulton County’s health department alerted Johns Creek High School families to a possible TB exposure after an individual diagnosed with tuberculosis; students identified as likely close contacts will receive letters and be offered free TB testing at North Fulton Regional Health Center in Alpharetta on two testing/reading days in June and July. The district and health officials will share more specifics about the process, locations, and dates, and TB information is available from the CDC.
An active tuberculosis case at Fort Benning led to routine contact testing that identified 47 latent TB infections in the same basic training unit. Those individuals are receiving preventive treatment; eight results are pending and one trainee is under further medical evaluation. The active patient was isolated, and officials say the situation is contained, while experts note the heightened TB risk in crowded settings and stress the importance of robust public health resources.
Northern Kentucky health officials are tracing potential tuberculosis exposures after a confirmed case linked to Lloyd Memorial High School; a hotline (859-363-2120) has been set up, and officials say the ongoing exposure risk is lower now that summer break has started, though contact tracing remains challenging.
At the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly, delegates endorsed developing a post-2030 TB strategy for 2028 and reviewed progress and challenges of the End TB Strategy, noting funding gaps. The Assembly also approved recognizing steatotic liver disease as a growing NCD burden and urged its integration into national plans, while backing stronger care for haemophilia and other bleeding disorders. A strategic roundtable on health mis- and disinformation highlighted the need for multisectoral action and trusted information to safeguard public health.
California posted a record 2,150+ TB cases in 2025 with a rate of 5.4 per 100,000—nearly double the national rate. A CDC/MMWR review found about 50 large TB outbreaks from 2017–2023, many linked to family/social networks or congregate settings and associated with factors like housing insecurity and substance use. The Bay Area saw outbreak testing at Archbishop Riordan High School, and experts say preventing outbreaks will require stronger genomic surveillance, better TB programs, and addressing homelessness and related social determinants of health.
California health officials confirmed tuberculosis exposure at Justin Garza High School with one active infection and 22 of 169 exposed testing positive but asymptomatic; a possible exposure was also reported at Sunset Elementary in San Ysidro. No students or staff are currently contagious on campus, and investigators are conducting contact tracing and free screenings. San Diego County TB cases have risen from 193 in 2020 to 265 in 2025, highlighting a rising trend in the state.
Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California notified students that they may have been exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis at its main campus between Oct. 27 and Dec. 14, 2025. MDR-TB is harder to treat and may require longer exposure periods; county health officials are advising immediate screening, with free on-campus TB screenings offered to those identified as having been directly exposed as the college cooperates with the investigation.
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have created a therapeutic, intranasal DNA vaccine against tuberculosis by fusing RelMtb with Mip3α. When used with standard TB drug therapy, it strengthened lung and systemic immunity, sped bacterial clearance, reduced lung inflammation, and prevented relapse in mice, with durable immune responses observed in nonhuman primates, suggesting a path toward human trials and the potential to shorten TB treatment, including for drug-resistant strains.
US TB cases rose in 2024 to over 10,600—the third straight annual increase and the highest since 2013—driven by latent infections reactivating after pandemic disruptions and renewed international travel, signaling strain on public health programs and a need for continued testing and complete antibiotic treatment to prevent drug resistance.
A pulmonary TB patient stayed in Sheba Medical Center's underground surgical unit (March 17–22, 2026), exposing about 750 patients (including around 300 newborns) and roughly 1,900 staff, plus unknown visitors. Health authorities and Sheba launched an epidemiological investigation; exposed individuals will receive Mantoux skin tests, with preventive antibiotics for positives. Infants under age 3 and immunocompromised people will begin four months of antibiotics immediately. Visitors with more than eight hours of exposure are advised to contact the Health Ministry hotline. TB is airborne, with higher risk after prolonged exposure, and the situation will be monitored and updated.