WASHINGTON — The Alexandria Health Department is working to identify students and staff who may have spent time in close contact with a person at Patrick Henry Elementary School diagnosed with tuberculosis, according to Alexandria City Public Schools.
The person was diagnosed with pulmonary TB, a contagious illness that can affect a person’s lungs, brain, kidneys and spine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The people who came in contact with the infected person at the Virginia school will be tested for TB.
A letter sent to parents from interim schools superintendent Lois Berlin and Alexandria Health Department Director Dr. Stephen Haering, stated that there is no ongoing risk of infection at Patrick Henry Elementary School or any other school from this exposure.
A tweet from the Alexandria City Public Schools account stated that the infected person was no longer in the school building starting the week of April 23.
TB is a bacterial disease that is spread from person to person through the air.
Symptoms of active TB disease include a cough lasting more than three weeks, decrease in appetite, weight loss and fatigue.
