SNHD provides update on tuberculosis investigation; 26 schools named

UPDATE: SNHD said Friday an individual diagnosed with tuberculosis traveled to 26 schools and one CCSD training site before they were made aware of the diagnosis and reported the case.

At this stage of the Health District’s investigation, one broader exposure notification is occurring at Ruthe Deskin Elementary School.

Individual notifications are occurring at 17 of the campuses for people identified as possibly having an exposure. Eight other schools have been investigated with no exposures identified.

The Southern Nevada Health District is emphasizing that not everyone who may have been exposed will be infected and not everyone who is infected with TB has active disease. TB screening and testing are provided to identify cases of latent TB infection. People who have latent TB infection have no signs and symptoms of the disease. They are not sick and cannot spread the disease to others.

Below is a list of schools/campuses involved in the current investigation:

• Bruner ES
• Carl ES
• Centennial HS
• Cheyenne HS
• Darnell ES
• Deskin ES
• Goynes ES
• Guy ES
• Kahre ES
• Katz ES
• Leavitt ES
• Lied MS
• May
• Neal ES
• O’Roarke ES
• Saville MS
• Tobler ES
• Triggs ES
• CCSD Training Site

Schools investigated but no contacts identified at this time:

• Allen ES
• Conners ES
• Eisenberg ES
• Fong ES
• McMillan ES
• Priest ES
• Scherkenbach ES
• Tarr ES

“The next steps are continuing to notify those people who do actually need testing because they have been exposed. That is something is ongoing right now,” said Communicable Disease Supervisor Haley Blake of SNHD. “The only way you can be infected by TB is by being around someone who have the active contagious form of the disease and sharing that air space, it is not something you can get from door knobs, telephones, taxi cabs,” she said.

FOX5 spoke to Dr. Christina Madison of the Public Health Pharmacist for how parents should proceed. Symptoms can manifest from as early as two weeks to several months.

“We want people to be informed but not alarmed. By law, [families] had to be notified. If we felt that we were very concerned about your child, the health department would have contacted you individually,” Dr. Madison said.

“Stay calm. How is your child acting? If your child is otherwise healthy and well, running around, excited about the holidays, there’s probably nothing to worry about,” she said.

Though chest pain and cough are typical symptoms, the bacterial infection may manifest differently in young children and infect other organs.

If flu-like symptoms emerge and you are concerned about TB exposure, Dr. Madison suggests testing for flu, COVID and RSV and TB. Parents should make sure their children are vaccinated for flu and COVID to reduce illnesses, this winter.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Southern Nevada Health District is working with Clark County School District on a tuberculosis investigation involving a person with active TB disease who was on multiple school district campuses while they were sick and had the potential to spread the disease to others.

Based on the Health District’s preliminary investigation, the patient had minimal close contact with people at most of the campuses where they were present. However, students and staff at Ruthe Deskin Elementary School were identified as having potential TB exposure. Notifications are being conducted for all individuals identified as close contacts of the patient.

Active TB disease is a serious disease, SNHD noted. However, the Health District is emphasizing that not everyone who may have been exposed will be infected and not everyone who is infected with TB has active disease.

TB screening and testing are provided to identify cases of latent TB infection. People who have latent TB infection have no signs or symptoms of the disease. They are not sick and cannot spread the disease to others.

The Southern Nevada Health District said that it is committed to conducting “immediate and thorough investigations” of all known active TB cases as they are reported, with the goal of identifying individuals at risk of exposure. The Health District offers treatment for those people who are exposed and found to have a TB infection to prevent the development of active TB disease and avoid future exposures to TB cases in the community.

The Health District has set up an Information Line for people who may have additional questions about the investigation. It is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by calling (702) 759-INFO (4636) or (866) 767-5038.

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