Sunny Brae middle school will hold a meeting for parents tonight after a confirmed case of Tuberculosis.
A letter went home to parents last week.
Regional Medical Officer of Health Dr. Yves Leger says it’s not uncommon to have three to ten cases of tuberculosis that are diagnosed each year in the province, “it’s not an immediate concern. You don’t have to run off right away to the ER or to your physician. Public Health will be involved and following up with anyone who may have been exposed, and this is something we are used to doing.”
Tuberculosis enters through the lungs through exposure to droplets, and it gets into the lungs, and Dr. Leger says it is not something that is easily transmitted. In most cases it stays dormant, and in nine out of ten people, they will never have any symptoms of the disease.
If they do have symptoms, they include, a cough that drags on for months and month, and fever.
Dr. Leger says for those who are diagnosed, they can be treated, and cured of the condition, “Tuberculosis is a disease that is treatable. In Canada, we are very fortunate that we have a good healthcare system with ample access to antibiotics, that may have to be taken for many months, but it is treatable and curable.”
