Dr. Yves Leger (submitted)
Public Health says the sixth case of tuberculosis in southeast New Brunswick this year has been diagnosed at Bernice MacNaughton High School.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a lung infection which can be spread when someone is sick and coughing.
Fortunately it is not very contagious and can be treated with antibiotics.
Officials say the infection can’t be spread by handshakes, hugs or by touching common surfaces.
Regional officer of health Dr. Yves Leger says public health will not identify whether the individual is a student or a staff member at the high school.
“We don’t want to provide specific details on the case. But what I can say for sure is that this case – as we do with every case – is we make sure that there are measures in place so that they are not posing a risk to the community until they’ve been deemed non-contagious,” he says.
Dr. Leger says the case was identified last week and the individual has been isolated and is doing well.
He adds the investigation into this TB case will likely continue until late January.
New Brunswick typically records up to 12 cases of tuberculosis each year and the symptoms include fever, fatigue, a prolonged cough and night sweats.
A vaccine does exist but it’s no longer used in Canada because officials say it’s not very effective.
Public health will hold an information session for parents at the Bernice MacNaughton High School auditorium on Monday (November 25) at 6:30pm.
