Luther student contracts tuberculosis

A student at Luther College has been diagnosed with a case of pulmonarytuberculosis and is currently receiving treatment. The student is living in a college-owned apartment without roommates andwill not be attending classes, college dining facilities or activities.

The Iowa Department of Public Health's TB Control Program is investigating the casealong with the Winneshiek County Public Health Department. The countydepartment is interviewing the student regarding contact she has had withothers and using the student's class list to determine which persons need to betested. 

Positive diagnosis for activeTB involves a series of tests. After all the tests have been completed, apatient's status can be confirmed.

Luther student life vice president Corey Landstrom said, "We have been working inpartnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health TB Program and the WinneshiekCounty Public Health Department regarding thissituation. It is our understanding from conversations with both agencies andwith information from the Centers for Disease Control that this diagnosis of active TB does not pose a serious health risk toour community. We encourage those with questions about the disease to reviewthe fact sheet and consult with medical professionals should they have furtherquestions about their own personal situation."

"Based upon theconversations that have taken place with the above noted agencies, it is myunderstanding that a person's risk of exposure is generally low unless theyhave had long-term, frequent contact with someone who has TB disease. Forexample, in situations where someone with active TB is on an airplane flight,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend testing otherpassengers for TB unless the flight is more than eight hours long."

Luther will share further appropriate information about the situation as itbecomes available.

In Iowa, health departments routinely screen hundreds of individuals with possibleTB exposure each year. Only people with prolonged contact with the person(s)with infectious TB are recommended to have a TB skin or blood test to determineif transmission has occurred. 

TB is not easily transmitted and usually requires long-term repeatedexposure to someone with infectious TB before they become infected. Onlypersons with TB disease can transmit TB infection to others. The disease istreatable and curable with antibiotics. General symptoms of TB include coughlasting longer than three weeks, unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite,night sweats, fever, fatigue and chills.