Tuberculosis case sets off testing at Canutillo High School for 190 students, staff
About 190 students and staff at Canutillo High School will be tested for tuberculosis after public health officials said Thursday that they “may have had close contact with someone with active TB.”
The City of El Paso Department of Public Health called the situation “a possible Tuberculosis exposure.” It said those at the school need to be screened through a blood test to determine if they were indeed exposed to the bacterial disease that primarily affects the lungs.
Tuberculosis spreads through airborne germs and can be deadly if untreated. Symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, night sweats, weight loss and fatigue.
