Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is warning students, staff and families at local high school about a risk of exposure to tuberculosis (TB).
OPH says that some students and staff at Sacred Heart High School in Stittsville might have been exposed to tuberculosis bacteria between November 2022 and October 2023 and was not known during that time that there was a risk for TB in the school. The school has students from grades 7 to 12.
A spokesperson for the Ottawa Catholic School Board directed all questions to Ottawa Public Health. OPH said it is aware of about 115 individuals at Sacred Heart High School who might have been exposed to TB at the school and the investigation is ongoing. OPH restated that it is not aware of anyone attending or working at Sacred Heart High School who is presently infectious.
OPH is continuing to work with school administration and staff to provide support and information for youth, staff and parents and it recommends for students and staff who have been exposed to get tested. To perform the tests OPH nurses will be at the school, during the weeks of Dec. 11 to 15, 2023 and Jan. 8 to 12, 2024.
OPH says, the timing of the TB skin test is very important as the test must be given after a certain time to ensure an accurate result.
Students and staff who have not been directly contacted by OPH, need not do the test.
OPH will also have a general information session about TB for staff, students, and their parents at Sacred Heart High School. Two brief presentations will be provided and each will be followed by a question-and-answer period with a public health nurse.
A letter was sent to the families of students who might have been exposed, says it is possible that their child might have breathed in TB bacteria and will need to take a TB skin test.
The letter states that, Ottawa Public Health will give the TB skin test during school hours and your child should return to the school to see the public health nurse, two days after the test is done to read the results.
OPH says if a test is positive, the nurse will arrange, with a parent’s or guardian’s consent, to have the child to visit a doctor who is specialized in tuberculosis. Anyone with a positive skin test should undergo a medical assessment and a chest x-ray to rule out the TB disease.
Ottawa Public Health says tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that are spread from person to person through the air, mostly through coughing or sneezing. The disease generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, such as the kidneys, brain or the spine.
People who are close to a person with TB for a long period of time can breathe in the TB bacteria. When this happens, it is called TB infection or latent tuberculosis infection. At this time, the person is not contagious and does not feel sick; however, the TB bacteria in their body can develop into TB disease in the future.
A person develops TB disease when his or her immune system cannot stop the TB bacteria from rising. This happens when a person is stressed, sick or has other illnesses such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS or cancer. With TB disease, the bacteria continuous to rise and the person feels sick, and the bacteria can be spread to other people. Health-care providers can recommend medication for people with a TB infection, so that it will prevent from developing into TB disease. TB disease can be cured and can be treated through a daily antibiotics regimen which last for at least six months.
