Employees, students and children potentially were exposed to tuberculosis over a five-month period at San Diego City College, county health officials said Thursday.
The San Diego County Tuberculosis Program, the college and the campus Early Education Center (EEC) are working closely to notify those who may have been exposed.
Those exposures, however, are believed to be limited. The dates of potential exposure are from Sept. 15, 2023, to Feb. 21.
People sick with TB may be sick for many months before they are diagnosed, and as such, exposure periods can be long, county public health officials warned.
TB is an airborne disease that is transmitted from 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.
“Blood tests and skin tests are effective in determining whether someone has been infected,” said county public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten. “Unfortunately, young children are at higher risk of rapid progression to active TB disease, so complete evaluation and preventive treatment for young children is particularly important.”
People who would like more information on this potential exposure should call the county’s TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621.
In 2023, 243 people were reported with active TB disease in San Diego County, up from 208 in 2022.