27 people test positive for tuberculosis at Kansas high school
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Twenty-seven people at Olathe Northwest High School in Kansas have tested positive for tuberculosis, officials announced Wednesday. More than 300 students and staff members at the school were tested for TB last week after a reported case of the disease.
"The number of individuals with TB infection does not exceed what we would anticipate in this setting," Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, told the Kansas City Star. "Of course, we had hoped we wouldn't find any additional TB cases, but we knew this was a possibility."
On a more positive note, none of the people who tested positive showed symptoms of the disease. The 27 people are being treated for the infection, and the school will administer tuberculosis tests again on May 5 for students and staff members who may have been exposed to the disease during the spring semester.
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
