Glen Cove HS student diagnosed with tuberculosis

Parents of Glen Cove High School students are waiting to find out if their children contracted tuberculosis after a high school student was diagnosed with the illness, according to school officials and the Nassau County Department of Health.

The health department told officials that "an individual in this district is presently receiving treatment for tuberculosis," interim schools Superintendent Joseph A. Laria said Wednesday in a letter to parents posted on the district website.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tuberculosis germs are spread via airborne contact and affect the lungs, brain, kidney and spine. The illness can be fatal. Symptoms of TB include weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats, as well as coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood, a CDC fact sheet says.

"Transmission in school settings is rare because TB is not highly infectious," said CDC spokeswoman Jennifer Ruth Horvath. "Children are, in general, less contagious than adults."

Laria said the student, who was not identified, was hospitalized and is not attending school.

Those who came in close contact with the student have been notified and can be tested to determine if they were infected, Glen Cove High School Principal Joseph Hinton said this week in a letter posted online to parents.

The Nassau health department will conduct testing at the school Nov. 5, and people can also get tested by their own doctors, Hinton said.

The student's doctor notified the county health department, which in turn contacted the school district Tuesday, Laria said. The district sent letters to parents on Wednesday.

County health officials said they have not seen any other cases of TB in the district. "There is no need for anyone to panic," said Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, deputy commissioner of the health department.

Treatments for the disease include the use of several drugs and can last six to 12 months.

The TB vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guerin or BCG, is "not generally recommended in the United States" because the vaccination "does not completely prevent people from getting TB," the CDC says on its website. The vaccine is widely used in many countries, though, according to the CDC.

About 40 cases of TB are diagnosed each year in Nassau County, according to the health department. Last year, Suffolk County had 51 cases of TB, according to spokeswoman Grace McGovern.