Contrary to what some might think, tuberculosis hasn?t gone the way of polio and other eradicated diseases.
Recent cases at Towson University and a Howard County high school have called attention to the rare but often severe infection.
“Most people do think tuberculosis has been eradicated,” said Vicki Randle, an epidemiologist at the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
School-age children and college students are more closely monitored with regular health screenings, which is likely why there are more cases highlighted, Randle said.
TB is more common in foreign-born residents, and 186 of the 270 cases in Maryland last year were among foreign-born residents, according to state data.
Tuberculoses rates have fluctuated over the last decade, but health officials are seeing an overall decline, Randle said.
“TB is not absent in the United States. You still do have cases,” said Dr. Sanjay Jain, a Johns Hopkins children?s TB expert.
Towson University has seen two cases so far this school year, most recently this week.
In Howard, nearly 50 Hammond High students have been tested for TB after possibly being exposed to the disease by an infected classmate on the school bus.
The Hammond student with TB, not a drug-resistant strain, has been treated and is doing well, said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard?s health officer.
So far, 45 tests of other students have come back negative, Beilenson said.
Treatment for TB is effective, and cases are much less common than in decades past, he said.
“TB just raises concerns, because it sounds scary based on 60 or 70 years ago,” Beilenson said.
People can test positive for TB, but not have any symptoms, Jain said. Those who test positive for the disease can take medications for nine months, which greatly reduces the risk of developing active TB, he said.
TB SYMPTOMS
Common symptoms of TB include a cough with thick, cloudy and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs that lasts more than two weeks; fever, chills and night sweats; fatigue and weakness; loss of appetite and weight loss; and chest pain and shortness of breath.
