Potential Tuberculosis Exposure Reported At High School In San Diego's South Bay

CHULA VISTA, CA — There was a possible exposure to tuberculosis at a school in San Diego's South Bay, county officials announced Tuesday.

San Diego County's Tuberculosis Prevention and Care Program was working with Innovation High School to notify students and staff who were potentially exposed to the disease from June 1 to Sept. 4 at the school at 310 Broadway in Chula Vista.

Those at highest risk of infection have already been notified. No-cost TB screening was being arranged for students and staff who are at increased risk of infection.

TB is an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air.

Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the county's public health officer, said that symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.

"Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away," Thihalolipavan said. "This is called latent TB infection. Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated."

People who test positive for TB but do not have symptoms likely have latent TB and should get a chest x-ray and talk to a medical provider, officials said. An estimated 175,000 people in the county have latent TB infection and are at risk for developing active TB without preventive treatment.

TB cases in the county have been on the rise since 2020. Health officials reported 193 cases in 2020, 201 in 2021, 208 in 2022, and 242 in 2023. In 2024, a total of 247 people were reported with active TB disease in the county.