A tuberculosis outbreak has been reported at a posh San Francisco boarding school, prompting health officials to launch a “large scale” investigation.
Three people associated with the boarding school Archbishop Riordan High School have been confirmed to have active tuberculosis infections, according to an advisory issued by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which said that a “large-scale TB contact investigation” is underway. Officials add that “over 50 cases of latent TB infection (LTBI) have been identified within the school community and efforts are underway to assure preventive treatment for all these individuals.”
Latent infections refer to people who contracted TB, but never developed symptoms. As Cleveland Clinic explains, it may become active if their immune system is weakened.
Alejandro Rosales, a junior at the school, told KTVU that students who were in close proximity to an infected person were informed via an email. “They said we can’t be going to the basketball games if we haven’t gotten tested yet,” he said.
The school has canceled or modified events, the outlet reports, and has recommended preventative measures like wearing masks indoors. “It just reminds me of the COVID outbreak,” student Julia O’Neill told ABC-7.
The first TB case was confirmed in November, and students and staff were required to get tested between Jan. 20 and Feb. 13.
Once called “consumption,” and known for its bad cough, chest pain, and bloody phlegm, TB killed one in seven people in the 1800s, per PBS. These days, treatment exists for both active and latent forms of the disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says, but can take up to nine months to complete. Without treatment, it can be fatal.
The CDC notes that it spreads easily to people you spend a lot of time with: “This includes family members, friends, and coworkers or schoolmates.” And as Rosales told KTVU about the boarding school, “everybody’s kind of around everybody.” Yearly tuition at the school is $28,000 and boasts that its alumni go on to attend schools like Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins.
Mata Vai, whose granddaughter attends the school, told CBS News, “I’m hoping she won’t get that … I just want her to be safe,” echoing the concerns of other worried families, as symptoms can take up to ten weeks to show up.
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PEOPLE has reached out to Archbishop Riordan High School for comment. In a letter to families, faculty and staff, the school’s president, Tim Reardon, said, “We know the health situation at school has been stressful and disruptive, and we understand how challenging it is to navigate guidance that continues to evolve. As we work closely with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, recommendations are updated as new information becomes available, always with the goal of protecting the health of our community while keeping school operating as normally as possible.”