Families warned of possible tuberculosis exposure in Chula Vista school

CHULA VISTA —  Students and staff at a Chula Vista elementary school may have been exposed to an individual with tuberculosis during summer and fall sessions, San Diego County health officials said Wednesday.

Those at the Fred Rohr Elementary School campus could have come in contact with the infected individual between June 27 and Aug. 26, health officials said.

No further cases have been publicly reported.

The district was made aware this week of the potential exposure and notified parents Tuesday, health officials said.

Citing privacy concerns, health officials declined to comment on whether the infected person was a student or staff member.

Public health and school administrators will contact those with a higher-risk of exposure to provide them with free TB testing, officials said. No closures were recommended for the school.

School district officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

TB bacteria is spread through the air from one person to another. Chances of infection are higher for those with prolonged indoor exposure to the infected person, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website reads. If not treated properly, TB can be fatal.

Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer, said in the statement Wednesday.

“Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill at some point in the future, sometimes even years later,” Wooten said.

San Diego County’s annual TB cases have decreased since the early 1990s. There were 201 cases reported in 2021 and 192 in 2020, health officials said.

About 13 million people nationwide are living with a latent TB infection, the CDC website says.

Individuals seeking more information on potential exposure at Fred Rohr Elementary can call the school district at (619) 425-9600 or the county’s TB control program at (619) 692-8621.