Just in and developing:
February 10, 2012
Dear USF Students:
Before you hear about it on the news, I want to give you a heads up that a presumed case of tuberculosis (TB) was recently uncovered on the USF Tampa campus. Under the direction and care of the Hillsborough County Health Department, as a precautionary measure, the student has been isolated, is being treated, and is no longer a health risk to others. Approximately 150 people have been identified as being potentially at risk of exposure and were already notified by the Health Department to come in for testing.
TB usually infects the lungs, but can affect other parts of the body, causing serious illness. The good news is that TB is less contagious than measles, mumps, chicken pox and influenza. It is spread when an infected person coughs, talks, sings, or sneezes untreated TB germs into the air. Persons who breathe in the germs can become infected—typically, only persons who have had very close, day-to-day contact with the infected person run the risk of contracting the disease. Even if a person is infected, the disease may never become active and make the person sick.
For more information about TB, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website:www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/general/tb.htm
Additional information and updates will be posted on the university’s main website: www.usf.edu
If you have questions about TB, call the USF Student Health Services nurse line at (813) 974-1797. Nurses will be available Friday, Feb. 10 – Friday, Feb. 17 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., including Saturday and Sunday.
If you are still concerned and want to be TB tested, you can schedule an appointment at Student Health Services by calling (813) 424-2331. You will be charged for the test.
If there is any additional news or updates on the situation, I will be sure to let you know. And, remember, my door is always open for my students!
Sincerely,
Kevin Banks
Dean for Students
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