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Tuberculosis exposure at Metro State Denver under investigation

Their investigation began on March 15. Health officials said all faculty, staff, and students who might have been exposed have already been contacted.

DENVER — Denver Public Health officials have launched an investigation into a potential tuberculosis (TB) exposure at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver).

Their investigation began on March 15, not long after they found the case. Health officials said all faculty, staff, and students who might have been exposed have already been contacted, which is about 150 people. According to a spokesperson for Denver Public Health, students and faculty at MSU who have not been contacted should not be worried.

They do not believe there is any ongoing risk of TB exposure at the school, nor do public officials expect any of the 150 people exposed to have an active case of TB. Denver Public Health said its working closely with MSU Denver and officials from the Health Center at Auraria to educate faculty and students about TB and to test anyone potentially exposed. 

RELATED: Tuberculosis testing at Aurora middle school complete

Only those who have been contacted by phone from Denver Public Health or by email from the Health Center of Auraria need to be tested at this time, public health officials.

TB is a disease caused by germs that are spread between people through the air, according to Denver Public Health. It usually affects the lungs but may also affect other parts of the body. 

For the most part, it is treated over time and poses few long-term serious risks. According to a Denver Health spokesperson, a person on a drug therapy to deal with TB is no longer infectious after a few weeks and should be completely cured in six months.

  • Most people who are exposed to TB do not get infected.
  • People who are infected cannot give TB to others unless they are sick with symptoms such as cough, fever, or night sweats.
  • A person who is infected but is not sick can receive treatment to prevent them from getting sick and spreading TB to family and friends in the future.

Health officials said they would expect no more than 3 to 5 percent of those tested to show signs of latent TB - which is not active. Those people could be cured in a much shorter amount of time than the first patient with active TB.

None of the students or faculty at MSU will have to pay for their testing, as this is considered a public health issue. No public officials said they considered this situation an emergency - rather, this is business as usual to them.

Additional facts about TB are available on the Denver Metro Tuberculosis Clinic’s website. People with additional questions can call CO-HELP at 303-389-1687 or contact their primary care provider.

All students and staff at Aurora Hills Middle School in Aurora were tested for tuberculosis earlier this year.

The testing was required after those at the school may have been exposed to a person with tuberculosis, a largely-eradicated disease, over the course of the fall 2018 semester, according to a message sent home to parents. 

Initial testing in January did not show that anyone got infected with TB at the school. However, in February repeat testing of the same people who were exposed showed that some of them were infected with the disease, but none were sick, a news release from Denver Public Health said. 

A Denver Public Health official told 9NEWS that despite two cases of TB coming out so close together, there is nothing to link the two cases. One official called it a "freak coincidence."

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