Tuberculosis Case Confirmed at Seventy-First High School; 260 Close Contacts Identified

A confirmed case of tuberculosis at Seventy-First High School in Cumberland County has led health officials to identify 260 people who may have had close contact with the infected individual.

County health officials were notified of the case on Sept. 11 and are working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Cumberland County Schools to determine the full scope of exposure. Parents of Seventy-First students received notification on Wednesday.

Letters were sent home with students identified as possible close contacts. The county health department said all people who had close contact with the individual have been contacted by a public health nurse from the County Health Department or Cumberland County Schools.

Some students said they first heard the news around lunchtime through social media posts. Seventy-First senior Kayden Sutton said students were walking around asking if anyone had masks. Sutton said his sister received a letter from the county saying she had been exposed and needed to be tested.

The screening process begins with a preliminary skin test. If that test returns positive, individuals will be taken for X-rays, according to county health officials. No information has been released about the affected individual.

Active tuberculosis most often affects the lungs. Symptoms can include a cough lasting more than three weeks, coughing up blood, fever, profuse night sweats, unintentional weight loss, poor appetite, chest pain or discomfort, and difficulty breathing.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said this is the sixth case of tuberculosis in Cumberland County this year and the 120th statewide.

Dr. David Weber, professor of medicine and epidemiology at UNC, said the risk of tuberculosis infection depends on several factors, including the health of the person exposed. “It’s still a disease to be concerned about,” Weber said, adding that tuberculosis spreads through aerosols when an infected person coughs or sneezes and someone else inhales them.

The disease starts in the lungs and can occasionally spread to other parts of the body, Weber explained. He said tuberculosis is increasingly less common, but remains a public health concern.

County health officials said they are working to provide screening information to anyone who may have been in close contact. The story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.