NATIONAL CITY, Calif.—Students and staff at Boys & Girls Club’s National City location and some Boys & Girls Club summer campsites may have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB), San Diego County public health officials announced Jan. 26.
The county’s Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Health Services department and club officials have worked to identify and notify those who had a high risk of exposure. No-cost testing will be provided to individuals at increased risk for infection.
The period of possible exposure was from May 28, 2022, to Nov. 8, 2022.
“Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer.
Wooten added that in most cases, the symptoms do not show immediately and could take up to years to show.
The disease is transmitted from person to person through indoor air during prolonged contact with an infectious person. Most people who are exposed to TB do not become infected.
People who are infected, and people at high risk of becoming ill quickly after an infection, such as those with an immuno-compromising condition, should discuss treatments with a medical provider, as antibiotics can prevent people with TB infection from becoming sick.
The number of people diagnosed with active TB in San Diego County has decreased since the early 1990s and has stabilized in recent years.
There were 192 in 2020 and 201 people reported with active disease in 2021. Preliminary data shows 208 people were reported to have active TB disease in 2022. An estimated 175,000 people in San Diego County have latent TB infections and are at risk for developing active TB without preventive treatment, health officials said.
