NATIONAL CITY (CNS) — The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency officials continued to reach out Friday to students and staff at the Boys & Girls Club's National City location and some Boys & Girls Club summer camp sites due to a possible exposure to tuberculosis.
The county HHSA's Public Health Services department and club officials are working to identify and notify those who had a high risk of exposure. No-cost testing will be provided to individuals at increased risk for infection.
The period of possible exposure was from May 28, 2022, to Nov. 8, 2022.
"Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. "Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill at some point in the future, sometimes even years later. Blood tests and skin tests are effective to determine whether someone has been infected."
TB is transmitted from person to person through indoor air during prolonged contact with an infectious person. Most people who are exposed to TB do not become infected.
People who are infected, and people at high risk of becoming ill quickly after an infection, such as those with an immunocompromising condition, should discuss treatments with a medical provider, as antibiotics can prevent people with TB infection from becoming sick.
More information on the potential exposure can contact the county TB Control Program at 619-692-8621.
The number of people diagnosed with active TB in San Diego County has decreased since the early 1990s and has stabilized in recent years. There were 192 in 2020 and 201 people reported with active disease in 2021.
Preliminary data shows 208 people were reported to have active TB disease in 2022. An estimated 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infections and are at risk for developing active TB without preventive treatment, health officials said.
