The Kay County Health Department continues to investigate a case of active tuberculosis (TB) in a student who attended Ponca City High School. Health officials are in the process of notifying persons that may have had close, prolonged contact with the case and conducting TB skin testing to determine infection. There are no other active or suspected cases of TB being investigated at this time in relation to this case.
Individuals identified as contacts will receive a skin test upon initial notification followed by the same test three months later. If either test is found to be positive, a medical evaluation and chest x-ray is conducted by public health officials. If an individual has a positive skin test, that does not mean they have TB disease that can infect others. People with TB infection (without disease) have TB bacteria in their body but are not sick because the bacteria are not active. They cannot spread the bacteria to others. Preventive medication may be prescribed to an individual with a positive skin test to reduce their risk developing active TB disease. A person with active TB disease will experience symptoms that may include feeling weak or sick, weight loss, fever, night sweats, cough, chest pain, and/or coughing up blood. Persons with active TB disease are treated by public health officials and isolated from other persons to control further spread to others until the person is no longer able to spread TB. Persons who have not been contacted by the county health department do not need to be tested. However, if you are concerned or do not know whether a significant exposure occurred, contact the Kay County Health Department at (580) 762-1641. General information concerning tuberculosis can be found on the Oklahoma State Department of Health website at: www.ok.gov/health.
