Tuberculosis Outbreak Hits College
02 November 2010 by Hamst
Staff and students at John Leggott College are being offered screening once again after a case of Tuberculosis (TB) was diagnosed.
Around 90 students and staff who have had the closest contact with the person who had the illness will be screened initially. Disease control experts believe the risk was considered "low" and antibiotics could be used to treat the condition.
Tuberculosis is usually caught from someone who has infectious TB when that person coughs or sneezes. Close and prolonged contact with the infectious individual is usually needed to be at risk of being infected. Symptoms included a cough that lasts more than two weeks, a shortness of breath, loss of appetite and weight loss, fever, sweating - particularly at night - and extreme fatigue and tiredness.
John Leggott College
This is the latest in TB scares to hit the college over the past few years. In June 2009 more than 2,300 students and staff at John Leggott College were to be screened for Tuberculosis after two students were diagnosed with the disease, this was on the back of the previous September when a student was found to have developed the more infectious form of TB. Then in December 2009 more students and staff at the college had tested positive for Latent Tuberculosis. It was reported around 45 people had joined the previous 330 students and staff to be treated for the latent form of TB.
It�s thought the latest outbreak at the college is to be an infectious form of Tuberculosis and so the 90 students and staff members will be offered a precautionary test.
David Vasse, principal at John Leggott College, said: "I have the college community's best interests at heart and I am committed to ensuring our response is comprehensive and effective.
"We understand that the screening may be of concern to those in our college community and so this week we will be providing college students and their parents the opportunity to meet with college staff and health professionals to discuss this.
"We will be ensuring all college staff and students are kept fully informed about the screening and its outcomes.
"We have been assured that health services are aiming to complete the process before the college's Christmas break."
John Leggott College
This is the latest in TB scares to hit the college over the past few years. In June 2009 more than 2,300 students and staff at John Leggott College were to be screened for Tuberculosis after two students were diagnosed with the disease, this was on the back of the previous September when a student was found to have developed the more infectious form of TB. Then in December 2009 more students and staff at the college had tested positive for Latent Tuberculosis. It was reported around 45 people had joined the previous 330 students and staff to be treated for the latent form of TB.
It�s thought the latest outbreak at the college is to be an infectious form of Tuberculosis and so the 90 students and staff members will be offered a precautionary test.
David Vasse, principal at John Leggott College, said: "I have the college community's best interests at heart and I am committed to ensuring our response is comprehensive and effective.
"We understand that the screening may be of concern to those in our college community and so this week we will be providing college students and their parents the opportunity to meet with college staff and health professionals to discuss this.
"We will be ensuring all college staff and students are kept fully informed about the screening and its outcomes.
"We have been assured that health services are aiming to complete the process before the college's Christmas break."
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