Maryland: Rockville Students to Undergo TB Tests

An 11th-grade student at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., has been found to have a suspected case of active tuberculosis, a school system spokesperson reported. As a result, the school has requested permission from parents to administer a skin test to everyone who was in class with the student. Parents of other students received a letter from the school's acting principal stating that testing is not recommended, as it takes four to eight hours a day in a confined room with the infected person for TB to be transmitted. The free, two-part testing in the school's cafeteria will be conducted by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Parents have been advised that another skin test will be needed in eight to 12 weeks to ensure no delayed infection occurred. Montgomery County health department spokesperson Mary Anderson said one case of active TB usually occurs in the schools each year, but no instances of transmission occur.

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