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The Georgia Department of Public Health informed the Floyd County School District Wednesday afternoon of an active case of tuberculosis diagnosed in elementary schools Model Elementary and Johnson.
Logan Boss, a spokesman for Northwestern Georgia's Ministry of Public Health, said that only one case of tuberculosis had been diagnosed.
Because of Under the Health Insurance Transferability and Liability Act, the GDPH did not warn the system of whether or not this was the case, Superintendent Jeff Wilson said.
"We will test anyone who thinks to have it" he said. "We do not want to play more or less."
DPH's letters will go home to all MES and JES families with more details and action plans today.
Vanity Romano, a parent of a model school student, said he received one of two letters sent by the school. The letter she received warned her that her child may have been in contact with the person diagnosed with TB, she said. The letter also told him that the system would test tuberculosis in students next Tuesday, with the results taking between 48 and 72 hours to come.
Romano said she feared it would not be soon enough.
"MYour concern is exposure because it can spread, "she said. IIf my daughter or anyone else is likely to be exposed to an illness, the earlier the diagnosis, the better. "
Romano said that she had tried going to her daughter's primary care doctor, but these had told her that they were not performing these tests. She received similar responses from emergency care and the emergency room. Romano said she had called the department of health and that she had been told that a TB test was already scheduled for Tuesday for Floyd County students. They would not be testing her daughter this week.
"I am I'm just trying to do what's best for everyone, "she said, adding that she would keep her daughter at home until the end test to avoid any possible exposure to herself and to other people.
According to the Center for Disease Control, it can leak between two and 12 weeks before the symptoms of tuberculosis begin to appear. Tests administered to students on Tuesday will only show if a student has been infected with the bacteria and not necessarily if they have a latent TB infection.
While this may be a cause for concern, says a school district press release, the risk of being infected with TB is low.
Unini Odama, health director of DPH North West Health District, said the case was being treated at home and that there was no danger present.
"We are working with FSC officials to identify and test those at risk of TB exposure based on the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. School and Floyd Medical Center Ensure Student Health Confirmed cases of TB are treated at home and pose no danger to others, "said Odama in a statement.
According to the CDC, Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germs that spread from person to person by air. Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or spine.
General symptoms of TB include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis also include coughing, chest pain and spitting of blood.
Tuberculosis germs are disseminated in the air when a person with tuberculosis, lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings. These germs can sthave air for several hours, depending on the environment. People who breathe in the air containing these germs of TB can be infected. this is what is called latent tuberculosis infection.
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