A USF Tampa student’s recent diagnosis of tuberculosis had some at USF St. Petersburg concerned about commuting and contagion. The Hillsborough County Health Department is handling the case, university officials said, and has already contacted via mail those considered at-risk.
Those mailed were informed they need to be tested for TB, and testing is now underway for students, staff and others made vulnerable by exposure.
“The person with TB is under medical care and does not pose a health risk at this time to the university or the community,” according to the USF Student Health Services website.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TB is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The airborne disease can be spread through coughing, laughing, sneezing or speaking. Although the lungs are most vulnerable to TB, the bacteria can also affect the kidney, spine and brain.
Common symptoms include frequent coughing, coughing up blood, chest pain, weaknesses, loss of appetite or night sweats. Left untreated, a person infected with TB could die.
Testing is necessary because sometimes TB can stay dormant in a person’s immune system, without showing any visible characteristics of infection.
Skin and blood tests are the most common way to determine if a person is infected. TB is treatable with medication. However, it will take about six to 12 months for the disease to fully leave a person’s immune system.
For additional information visit www.shs.usf.edu/health-topics/tuberculosis.aspx.
