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Tuberculosis warning sent to Long Island school district after students possibly exposed

By
Mark Prussin
Digital Producer, CBS New York
Mark Prussin is a digital producer at CBS New York. He covers breaking news, sports, politics and trending stories in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Mark joined the CBS New York team in 2019.
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Mark Prussin

/ CBS New York

A Long Island school district is warning parents their kids may have been exposed to after learning that "an individual in the school community" was being treated for the highly contagious and possibly fatal disease.

The Patchogue-Medford School District said in a letter to some parents in January that the Suffolk County Department of Health first alerted them about the infectious person. 

"We are contacting you because we have reason to believe that your child had close and prolonged contact with this individual during the time (s)he was infectious," Interim Superintendent Lori Cannetti wrote. 

Students tested for tuberculosis (TB)

Suffolk's health department recommended all parents receiving the letter have their kids undergo a Mantoux PPD skin test or Quantiferon blood test for the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). 

Students were offered free skin tests at Patchogue-Medford High School and will be offered another round in March, after a two-month incubation period, the interim superintendent said. 

Parents having their kids tested outside school were asked to provide documentation, including test results, to the health department.

About tuberculosis

Tuberculosis can be deadly if not treated properly. It is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually affects the lungs, but it can may also impact the brain, kidneys and spine, according to .

It spreads through germs in the air. 

"Not everyone infected with TB germs becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist:  (or latent TB infection) and ," the CDC website says. 

TB symptoms commonly include coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood, according to the CDC.

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