Officials at San Diego County and San Diego State University worked Thursday to notify those potentially exposed to tuberculosis on the SDSU campus last spring.
The dates of potential exposure, primarily at the Charles B. Bell Jr. Pavilion, are from Feb. 16 to June 22 of this year.
Risk to the general public, SDSU students and faculty and to other employees are considered to be limited, according to the county.
Those known to have been potentially exposed have been directly notified and have been provided direction from health officials.
People sick with TB may feel symptoms for many months before they are diagnosed, and as such, exposure periods can be long. Active TB symptoms include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer.
“Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection,” she said. “Some who become infected with TB will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated. Blood tests and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected.”
TB is disease that is transmitted person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air. The chance of infection is higher for people with prolonged indoor exposure to a person who is sick with TB.
Individuals who want more information on this potential exposure may call the County TB Control Program at 619-692-8621.
According to the county, the number of people diagnosed with active TB locally has decreased since the early 1990s and has stabilized in recent years. There were 192 cases in 2020, 201 in 2021 and 208 last year.
– City News Service