Home Health Panic as Pennsylvania high school student with contagious disease attends class without doctor’s approval

Panic as Pennsylvania high school student with contagious disease attends class without doctor’s approval

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The staff

Panic broke out after a high school student in Pennsylvania with tuberculosis returned to class without being cleared by his doctor.

The student had been diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, but showed up to class Monday in Washington County without a doctor’s permission.

Staff “immediately isolated the student and sent him home” after learning what happened, according to a post on facebook from Charleroi Area School District Superintendent Ed Zelich on Jan. 13.

Employees “thoroughly cleaned the areas where the student was isolated,” Zelich wrote.

He added: “After reviewing the situation, (the Pennsylvania Department of Health) confirmed that no public health action is currently necessary for our district.”

However, outrage increased when parents and community members pointed out a previous statement of the school on December 27 stating that there were “no active cases of tuberculosis” in their school district among staff or students.

Zelich concluded in his latest update that the school district is “closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with the appropriate health authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”

Tuberculosis is a serious and highly contagious disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Staff “immediately isolated the student and sent him home” after learning what happened, according to a Facebook post by Charleroi Area School District Superintendent Ed Zelich (pictured) on Jan. 13.

However, outrage grew when parents and community members pointed to a previous statement from the school on December 27 that claimed that

However, outrage increased when parents and community members pointed to a previous statement from the school on December 27 that stated that there were “no active cases of tuberculosis” in their school district among staff or students.

The disease spreads through the air and settles in the lungs where it begins to grow, with the possibility of being transferred through the blood to other parts of the body such as the brain, spine and kidneys.

Tuberculosis germs can be spread from person to person through the air when a person infected with active tuberculosis coughs, talks, or sings, depending on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can remain airborne for several hours and is more likely to spread indoors or in areas with poor air circulation.

Someone infected with the disease may not experience symptoms and cannot transmit the disease, this is known as inactive tuberculosis.

However, without treatment, inactive tuberculosis can develop into active tuberculosis.

Without treatment, active tuberculosis can be fatal.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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