Health officials confirmed a person at a West Michigan high school was diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB).
On Jan. 31, 2025, the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department notified Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) of the recent diagnosis and confirmed the person has been isolated and is undergoing treatment.
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The health department is working to identify anyone who has been around the person with TB for extended periods of time while they were potentially contagious. Those people will be notified soon and provided a questionnaire and information about testing.
Health officials said the school will have testing at no cost to those who were notified.
“KPS is taking guidance from the health department and is collaborating on the response,” said KPS Superintendent Dr. Darrin Slade. “We send our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the individual diagnosed.”
According to the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department, TB is a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.
While TB is contagious, it is not spread as easily as other illnesses like a cold or the flu. Extended periods of time in enclosed spaces are required for TB to spread between people.
Health officials said people can’t get TB from shaking someone’s hand, sharing food or drink, sharing toothbrushes or school supplies, kissing, or touching bed linens or toilet seats.
“Although tuberculosis can be a serious disease, it is a treatable infection. We are working closely with Kalamazoo Public Schools to ensure the safety and health of all staff and students,” said Dr. William Nettleton, Medical Director of Kalamazoo County HCS.
According to the health department, not everyone infected with TB germs becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (or inactive TB) and active TB disease.
Latent TB is when a person has a positive TB test but no sign or symptom of disease. Latent TB does not spread between people. Active TB disease is when a person has a positive TB test and signs or symptoms of the disease, such as a cough, night sweats, weight loss, and abnormal chest X-ray. Active TB can spread between people. Treatment of latent TB can prevent active TB disease from ever developing. Treatment of active TB treats the sick person and also prevents further spread of TB to others.
