Tuberculosis test results come back for possibly exposed Cobb County students
Walton High School
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Hundreds of students and staff members at Cobb County's Walton High School have received their test results after they were possibly exposed to tuberculosis.
Cobb and Douglas County public health officials say that 300 people at the school on Bill Murdoch Road may have been exposed to the disease.
After examining the reactions to the test on Thursday, officials say all the 200 people tested were negative for the disease.
If a test had been positive, the student or staff member would have needed to have a chest X-ray to ensure that they did not have an active disease, Valerie S. Crow with Cobb & Douglas Public Health told FOX 5. If the X-ray is negative, they will be offered preventative medication. A positive test would require additional treatment.
All tested students will do another test in eight to 10 weeks and will be notified by the school about this subsequent test's date and time.
Any students and faculty who were told to take the test and did not get it at school on Tuesday will have to get tested by their doctor and show proof the test was completed before they can return to school.
Officials have not shared details about how the students and staff members may have been exposed, citing HIPAA.
Tuberculosis is caused by airborne bacteria that mostly affects the lungs. Roughly a quarter of the global population is estimated to have TB, but only about 5–10% of those develop symptoms.
About 1.25 million people died of TB last year, a new report from the World Health Investigation said, adding that TB likely returned to being the world’s top infectious disease killer after being replaced by COVID-19 during the pandemic. The deaths are almost double the number of people killed by HIV in 2023.
According to a report by the Georgia Department of Public Health, the state reported 262 new cases of tuberculosis in 2022 - an 18% increase from the year before. DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties accounted for 46.2% of all cases.