Tuberculosis Exposure

Dear ECP Families,

We are aware of the recent Department of Public Health (DPH) letter that was sent out to
Walton High School students potentially exposed to Tuberculosis. The DPH has established a
testing date at Walton High School (10/29) and a subsequent date to read the test results
(10/31) for all students who received this letter.

We would like to reiterate that those students who did not receive a letter from the DPH
do NOT need to be tested and were deemed safe from potential exposure by the DPH.

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB usually affects
the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. Not everyone that gets infected with TB
becomes sick; they can develop inactive TB (or latent TB) and active TB. Tuberculosis is spread
through the air from one person to the other. Signs and symptoms of TB can include a cough
that lasts 3 weeks or more, chest pain, coughing up blood, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite,
chills, fevers, and night sweats. As TB is caused by a bacteria, it can be treated with medicine.

Testing for TB can be done via blood test or skin test. The DPH will be performing the TB skin
test at Walton High School on 10/29 for those students who were exposed. For the TB skin
test, a small needle will be used to put testing material under the skin. The skin will then need to
be re-evaluated in 2 days to see if there was a reaction. The DPH will be re-evaluating these
skin tests at Walton High School on 10/31.

We understand that receiving this letter could be distressing for your family but want to reassure you that the Department of Health will be appropriately screening for any potential infection. We ask that you please cooperate with their efforts to make sure your student is properly monitored post exposure.

East Cobb Pediatrics remains committed to the safety and well being of our patients. For more
information about Tuberculosis, please visit https://cdc.gov/tb/about/index.html

East Cobb Pediatric Family

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