On the heels of the recent theft of school funds through unauthorized electronic transfers, comes the news from the Stoddard County Health Department that testing for tuberculosis has been in progress this week within the Dexter Public Schools.
Although Stoddard County Health Center Director Debbie Pleimling cannot confirm numbers or the presence of tuberculosis within the Dexter Public Schools, she was able to confirm Thursday afternoon that staff members within the school system are undergoing TB testing.
Rumors have abound in the local community over the past week that there was a presence of TB at the elementary level of the local schools. Pleimling would not confirm any cases of students who had the infectious disease, and did not mention any screening of students at this time, rather only staff members.
The referral for testing, she stated, came from outside the school.
The Health Center's Communicable Disease Nurse, Amy Hector, is working closely with the school's administration in dealing with the situation, Pleimling says.
"We're doing what we need to do in order to see what's going on, if anything," the director explained. "We've been called in to check this out and that's what we're doing."
In a statement this morning, local Supt. Dr. Thomas Sharp stated, "In dealing with communicable diseases, the Board of Education policy follows state and federal laws that students or employees with communicable diseases that pose a risk of transmission in school or at school activities will be managed in accordance with guidelines provided by the Department of Health and Senior Services and local departments of health. The district has procedures in place for students and employees who are identified with active cases of communicable diseases."
The screening process that is being provided by the Health Center involves a simple skin test that is read by a nurse 48 to 72 hours after it is administered.
"If a person has the TB germ with their body," Pleimling says, "they will have a positive reaction in that time span, and they are then referred to their physician for an x-ray."
Pleimling said the testing "is a routine procedure that is no different from any other screening we do if there is a positive skin test that occurs. I want to stress that a positive skin test does not necessarily mean that there is disease."
Pleimling further stressed, "We are always mindful of protecting the privacy of individuals and want to promote the education and knowledge of the population."
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal. The disease is, however, treatable.
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected, according to the CDC.
The CDC stresses that tuberculosis is not spread by:
* shaking someone's hand
* sharing food or drink
* touching bed linens or toilet seats
* sharing toothbrushes
* kissing
Pleimling stresses that the staff at the Stoddard County Health Center is available to the public should they have any concerns or questions concerning TB or any illness.