By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-989971.mp3
Dallas, TX – Some Denton High School students have tested positive for tuberculosis. Now officials want to know if they're contagious as KERA's Shelley Kofler reports.
County health officials tested some 270 Denton High School students and staff this week after a transfer student from Ennis became ill.
The 16-year old was exposed to an Ennis teacher who is contagious and is believed to be the source of some 200 positive TB cases in Ennis.
School officials say fewer than a dozen at Denton High tested positive though they won't release specific details.
Denton County Health Coordinator Bob Martinez says the next step is for those with positive results to have chest x-rays.
Bob Martinez: One of our physicians will read the x-ray and determine if there is disease in their lungs and if they don't have any disease then there's no TB there's just exposure to it.
Martinez says only those with at least six hours of exposure to a contagious person are at risk for contracting tuberculosis and most who test positive will not get sick.
Anyone deemed contagious would be isolated and treated with medication.
Health officials report three active or contagious cases in Ennis including the teacher.