UNB says close contacts of student with TB have been contacted
Any University of New Brunswick students, professors or staff at the Fredericton campus who came into close contact with a student diagnosed with tuberculosis have now been identified and contacted by Public Health, according to university officials.
Those in question have also been provided with information regarding screening for the disease, interim vice-president of academics, Jane Fritz, said in a statement on Monday morning.
The statement does not reveal how many people are on the list.
TB is caused by the bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis and is spread from person to person through the air. When someone with active TB coughs, sneezes, or sometimes even talks, tiny droplets containing TB germs are released into the air, where they can remain for hours.
The affected student, who lives in residence, is responding well to treatment, officials have said.
No other information about the student has been released.
UNB advised the university community of the confirmed diagnosis in an email on Jan. 15 — three days after the case was discovered.
"Public Health advises that tuberculosis is not easily transmitted from one person to another and therefore requires very close and prolonged contact, so medical authorities believe that only people who had close contact with the student could be at risk of being infected," Fritz said in the statement.
If the disease is found to have spread, other people who had less contact with the affected student will also be contacted, officials have said.
TB usually attacks the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys, lymph nodes and spine. If left untreated, it can lead to death.
Symptoms of TB include chronic coughing, in some cases, coughing up blood, fever or night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fatigue. But it could be months or even years before those symptoms present themselves.
TB is treated by taking several drugs for up to one year.
"Public Health is continuing to investigate and will continue to communicate pertinent information to the university community as necessary," said Fritz.
The investigation could take "many months" to complete, officials have said.
TB claims more than a million lives a year worldwide, but has largely been eradicated in North America.
