UNT MEMORANDUM

TO: UNT Community

FROM: Herschel Voorhees, D.O.
Director of Clinical Services
UNT Student Health and Wellness Center

DATE: Feb. 14, 2008

SUBJECT: IMPORTANT HEALTH ALERT

A member of the UNT community has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and is currently undergoing treatment. The individual is no longer on campus and does not pose a continuing threat to the UNT community.

However, tuberculosis, or TB, is a potentially severe and contagious disease considered to be a public health threat even though individuals rarely develop the disease from limited exposure to the bacteria. Therefore, the University of North Texas is working closely with the Denton County Health Department to investigate and monitor this incidence of TB.

The risk of exposure and infection to the general campus population is extremely low, though everyone needs to be aware of this incidence.

Individuals who are likely to be more at risk because they could have been in contact with the infected individual for a prolonged time or in a confined space have been informed about their higher potential risk.

Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing bacterium that thrives in areas of the body that are rich in blood and oxygen, such as the lungs. TB in the lungs is spread to other people through the air when an infected individual coughs, laughs, speaks, sings or sneezes. The bacteria may remain airborne for several hours in some cases. For infection to occur, the bacteria must be inhaled and must reach the alveoli of the lung.

Tuberculosis is either latent (dormant) or active. Latent TB occurs when a person has the TB-causing bacteria in his/her body, but cannot spread the disease to others. However, a person with latent TB can still develop active TB. Active TB occurs when the infection is spreading in the body; if the lungs are infected, the disease can be spread to others.

An individual with latent TB will have no symptoms unless the disease becomes active.

Symptoms of active TB may include:

• ongoing cough that brings up thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs (sputum);
• fatigue and weight loss;
• night sweats and fever;
• rapid heartbeat;
• swelling in the neck (when lymph nodes in the neck are infected); or
• shortness of breath and chest pain (in rare cases).

When a person first develops active TB, the symptoms of the disease may be so mild the person may be unaware he/she has been infected. This also is true for people with latent TB because they have no symptoms.

Latent TB is usually found through a tuberculin skin test (also called a TB skin test, PPD test or Mantoux test) or a blood test. Active TB is diagnosed by finding the TB-causing bacteria in fluid from the lungs (sputum) or in samples from other parts of the body. Doctors sometimes use a chest x-ray to help diagnose active TB. A person infected with TB may not test positive for two to ten weeks after infection. A positive skin test does not mean active TB is present.

If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, please see your personal doctor or a physician at the UNT Health Center. If you have any questions, please call (940) 369-8181 or contact the Denton County Health Department at (940)349-2900. You also may visit www.cdc.gov/tb/faqs to learn more.

**UNT**