Anna Marie Flynn
A case of tuberculosis (TB) was identified in St Tiernan’s College, Crossmolina late last week.
A statement issued to The Mayo News by the Department of Public Health, HSE West confirmed the identification of the case. “Screening has been offered to students and staff at St. Tiernan’s College. The overall risk of transmission of disease is considered to be low,” said a spokesperson.
Screening will involve a skin test and a chest X-Ray if required. The incubation period from infection to a positive skin test for TB can take up to 12 weeks.
TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. It is caught by breathing in the bacteria in tiny droplets sneezed or coughed by someone who has TB in their lungs. In most people the body’s immune system kills the bacteria before they start to cause symptoms and the person does not become ill.
Active TB can occur in different parts of the body. In most people with active TB their lungs are affected, causing symptoms such as persistent cough, weight loss, fever, night sweats and coughing up blood. Symptoms in other parts of the body depend on where the TB infection is.
If TB is left untreated it can cause serious illness. When a person is diagnosed with TB, people who have been in close contact are offered screening tests to check if they are infected. This is called ‘contact tracing’ and can involve screening family and others living with the person with TB, or others in close contact including work or school colleagues. People invited for screening will be offered a skin test for TB called a Mantoux test.
TB used to be very common in Ireland. There were up to 7000 cases each year in the early 1950s. Happily since then huge strides have been made in controlling a disease that, for previous generations, aften proved fatal. Incidents of the disease have been in decline over many years and modern medication means that it has become very treatable. In 2008 there were 470 cases notified to The Health Protection Surveillance Centre, 34 of these people lived in the HSE West area.
Further information on Tuberculosis visit www.hpsc.ie.
