Parents Concerned As Grant High Tuberculosis Investigation Draws To Close
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As concerned parents waited, hundreds of students and staff were tested for a potentially deadly disease at a Sacramento high school.
Even though the tuberculosis investigation is pretty much over at Grant High School, some parents are still concerned.
In March, Sacramento County Public Health officials confirmed with CBS13 that 21 high-school students had been exposed to the potentially deadly disease.
School officials say since the investigation began, they screened 452 students and staff for tuberculosis. Of those, 120 tested positive for a form of the disease that's considered dormant and not contagious.
However, four students with an active, contagious form of the disease were treated and medically cleared to return to school.
"If caught early the treatment can be really good," said Dr. Olivia Kasiry, the county's public health officer.
She says for now, the disease has been contained with antibiotics, but she's still concerned.
"We have been actively calling the parents and students, especially who have not completed the evaluation so that they can come into the health department and complete it," she said.
She says the symptoms for the disease are a cough that can last for weeks, fever, night sweats, weight loss and extreme fatigue. If not treated, it can be deadly.
Dennis and Lucy Gonzales' son attends Grant High, and they're waiting for his test results and their own.
"I just went to the doctor and they tell me that several parents a have been to the doctor to check themselves," Lucy said.
The district plans to have a community meeting to answer more questions about the disease before students return in the fall.
