Indio High School Student Tests Positive for Tuberculosis, Health Officials Respond

Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Public Health has confirmed that an Indio High School student has tested positive for tuberculosis (TB). Officials say the student is undergoing treatment and is expected to make a full recovery. According to RUHS Public Health, the student is no longer on campus, meaning there is no ongoing risk to the school community from this individual. However, as a precaution, health officials are working closely with Desert Sands Unified School District to identify and test anyone who may have had prolonged, close contact with the student. If an individual tests positive, they will be referred for further evaluation, including a chest X-ray, and monitored by public health experts. "Standard symptoms that you can see or experience would be a persistent cough that lasts more than a cold right, two to three weeks or longer, that gets progressively worse. They can also have fever, night sweats, and sometimes in advanced stages, they can be coughing up blood if the germs are in the lungs and causing damage. The only way to know for sure whether it's TB or some other respiratory illness, is for the person to contact their healthcare provider." Barbara Cole, the Director for Disease Control at RUHS Public Health says. Officials stress that this is not considered an outbreak, but rather a single case that is being carefully managed. Nurses with RUHS Public Health will continue offering testing and guidance to ensure the safety of students, staff, and families in the community.