A case of tuberculosis was detected in the Joseph Chassigneux college in Vinay, Isère, nearly two months ago, revealed France Bleu Isère on Wednesday. The infected person - whose identity has not been revealed - was isolated and placed under treatment. She would be in good health, according to the college quoted by the media. For the time being, it is not clear whether the patient is a student, a teacher or a staff member.
Tuberculosis less contagious than Covid
A quarter of the school's students, or 150 people out of 600, will have to be screened via a blood test and an X-ray of the lungs, learned the parents of students summoned Monday, June 5 to take stock of the situation, according to local radio. The screening will be free and covered by the Grenoble Tuberculosis Centre.
Interviewed by France Bleu Isère, Dr. Thomas Bilmaker, who follows the screening protocol, assured that tuberculosis was "much less contagious than Covid": "To contract tuberculosis, you need prolonged contact with an infected person. We have modalities to define a contact subject. We organize a very broad screening so that no one falls through the cracks. Most, if not all, results are expected to be negative." And if a result were to be positive, the person will be isolated for three weeks and treated with antibiotics. "We can treat it immediately and effectively. Once cured, the person has no sequelae, "said Dr. Bilmaker, wanting to be reassuring.
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Tuberculosis is an "infectious disease that most often affects the lungs", caused by "a type of bacteria that spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit," says the WHO on its website. The organization also states that "the disease is preventable" and that it can be "cured". Common symptoms are prolonged cough (sometimes with blood), chest pain, severe fatigue, weight loss, fever, asthenia, night sweats, says WHO. Once the person is cured, they do not have any sequelae.
