JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health is investigating a case of active tuberculosis at Eugene J. Butler Middle School.
According to a news release, the DOH's Duval County office started the investigation after a student was recently hospitalized with active TB and released.
The news release sent out Thursday evening said that School officials and families of students have been notified about the investigation, but some parents told News4Jax otherwise.
"They didn't notify me, they didn't notify the students accurately," one parent said. "I'm glad that you guys did air the story, because now I can take my son to his primary doctor to get him tested, because obviously the school is lacking and to me that's something serious."
Deanna Reed said her eighth-grader Dionna Reed came home with a piece of paper warning parents that an active case of Tuberculosis had broken out at her daughter's school.
"After I found out about it, I was like, 'OK, how long has this been going on and how come we haven't been notified about this?' Because kids are tested before school starts, so I would assume someone's child would have known before they enrolled in school," she said.
Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said in a news release that DCPS was notified Thursday about the Health Department's investigation.
"In our continued efforts to proactively and transparently communicate with stakeholders, we immediately alerted parents by letter and phone," Vitti said in the release. "The Health Department shares our commitment to safety and has advised us that there are no immediate threats as they conduct a complete and thorough review."
Anyone exposed will be medically evaluated and offered treatment if found to be infected.
"We are working closely with the school district to ensure the health and safety of students and staff," Dr. Kelli Wells, director of the Florida Department of Health in Duval County, said in the news release. "This public health response is anchored by an investigation that is an important part of the protection of everyone involved."
TB is a bacterial disease caused by germs spread from person to person in close contact through the air. TB germs are put in the air when a person with the disease coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings. Persons who breathe in the air containing TB germs can become infected.
TB usually affects the lungs, yet may also affect other parts of the body. Symptoms of TB include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Symptoms of TB in the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and coughing up blood.
TB is diagnosed by a skin test or blood test, administered by a health care provider or local health department. A positive test usually means the person has been infected with the TB germ; however, it does not necessarily mean the person has active tuberculosis . Additional tests, such as an X-ray or sputum sample, are needed to determine if the person has active TB. The disease can be easily cured through proper medical treatment.
School will still be in session on Friday for students. The School Board said this will be an ongoing investigation and right now they are protecting the privacy of all involved.