Genesee County Health Department

Better Life Through Better Health

Release Date:             March 22, 2007           End Date: March 29, 2007

Contact Person:          Gary K. Johnson, MD, MPH, Medical Director

Genesee County Health Department

Phone:                         (810) 257- 3155

RE:                              Communicable Disease Investigation

Genesee County Health Department (GCHD) is currently conducting a communicable disease investigation because a person in the Flint Community Schools has tuberculosis. GCHD is working with school administrators to prevent further infection and to identify students and staff who may have been exposed. Those who are classified as close contacts of the case are being notified and will be tested for tuberculosis exposure by the Health Department. A skin test will be used to identify people who may have been exposed to tuberculosis. Only those persons notified by GCHD should be tested.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria can attack any part of the body, but they usually attacks the lungs. A person can have either Latent TB Infection or Active TB Disease. Persons with Latent TB Infection have the TB bacteria in their body but have no symptoms and cannot spread the disease to others. Persons with Active TB have symptoms including a prolonged cough, fever, weight loss, and night sweats. TB is spread through airborne droplets from the nose, mouth or lung fluid that are then inhaled by someone who shares close breathing space, usually over a prolonged period of time. Latent and Active TB are cured by antibiotics. For more information about tuberculosis please visit the GCHD website at www.gchd.us .

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