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Four More At Olathe Northwest High School Test Positive For TB

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Kansas News Service
Kansas health authorities say four additional people have tested positive for tuberculosis out of 70 tested last week at Olathe Northwest High School.

Kansas health authorities say four additional people have tested positive for tuberculosis out of 70 tested last week at Olathe Northwest High School. 

The tests were conducted after a student came down with the infection last month. More than 300 people were tested shortly afterward and 27 tested positive for the disease.

The latest tests were done after officials found additional people who may have had contact with the student.

Being infected isn’t the same as having the disease, whose symptoms include fever, night sweats, coughing and weight loss.

The infected individuals will be given free chest x-rays and antibiotics to kill the TB bacteria. A second round of blood tests will be administered on May 5  since it can take eight to 10 weeks for the bacteria to show up in TB tests. 

Dan Margolies has been a reporter for the Kansas City Business Journal, The Kansas City Star, and KCUR Public Radio. He retired as a reporter in December 2022 after a 37-year journalism career.
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