By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-989649.mp3
Dallas, TX – Dallas County Health officials say they are giving TB skin tests to a handful of students who went to Ennis High School last year, and are now in Dallas County. KERA's BJ Austin says Denton High School students are also being tested this week.
After an Ennis High School teacher was diagnosed with an active case of tuberculosis, testing of more than 1600 students and staff at the high school began. One additional "active" case of TB has been confirmed in Ennis.
Dallas County Health Department Director Zach Thompson says his TB unit is testing eight students this week.
Thompson: No confirmed cases in Dallas County, but we're following up on any transfer students who went to Ennis High School last year and transferred to Dallas County Schools.
Thompson says results should be available later this week or early next. More than 200 students and staff at Denton High School will get their TB skin test results in individual sessions with health officials Thursday on campus. An Ennis transfer student fell ill with what is suspected to be an active case of tuberculosis. Sharon Cox, with the Denton School District, says students and parents are remaining calm.
Cox: We have been in constant contact with the parents through personal phone calls, through emails and eblasts and websites to make sure every parent stays informed of what's taking place.
Test results on the Denton High transfer student will take a few more weeks, according to County Health officials. But the health department's Sarah McKinney says they want to be proactive, testing students for exposure on the assumption the student does have the contagious form of TB.