Massachusetts: Tuberculosis Test Results in Haverhill Show Little Risk

Public health officials said there was no need for further TB testing at Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Mass., after early results for students and teachers showed a minimal threat from one infected student. The Department of Public Health identified 61 students and teachers at risk, and many were tested after a student was diagnosed with TB last week. Of 43 skin tests so far, 42 have come back negative, which is well below the 10 percent positive rate expected in tests on the general population, DPH spokesperson Roseanne Pawelec said Friday. She added it was particularly encouraging that teachers who had the most exposure to the infected student had negative tests. "This is good news and indicates basically that parents overall at Haverhill High School should breathe a sigh of relief," Pawelec said. About 300 TB cases are reported annually in Massachusetts. Another 10,000 people each year test positive for the illness, but do not show symptoms.

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