AMARILLO BI-CITY-COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT
Amarillo, Canyon, Potter County, Randall County
CITY OF AMARILLO, P.O. BOX 1971, Amarillo, TX 79105-1971
May 30, 2014 - The Amarillo Bi-City-County Health Department is completing its investigation and reading the results of students and staff tested for tuberculosis exposure at Fannin Middle School. As of today, no additional active cases of TB have been identified.
Students and staff at Fannin who had not previously been tested for TB exposure were tested Tuesday and results were read yesterday. Of the total number of people who have been tested at Fannin in this health department investigation, 84 out of 706 tested positive for TB exposure. The health department is completing evaluations of all potential exposures and should be finished next week.
The decision was made to expand TB testing to all students and staff at Fannin after initial testing during what is called a contact investigation revealed a higher than expected number of positive TB skin tests. The investigation was prompted by one active TB case found in a Fannin student last month.
“In testing classmates, teachers and close contacts, we saw a 15.6 percent exposure rate with no active cases identified,” says Dr. Matt Richardson, director of Public Health for the City of Amarillo. “When we expanded the testing to the entire school, we found a 9.8 percent exposure rate so far, telling us that there was not a widespread exposure. According to our state health department partners, we believe this expanded, campus-wide rate looks like the rate found in the general population in Amarillo.”
Dr. Richardson expects the investigation to conclude next week and that no additional testing at Fannin Middle School or any Amarillo Independent School District campus will be necessary. All testing and treatment has been provided at no cost to the families.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation provided to us by AISD as well as parents,” Dr. Richardson says. “This allowed us to move the process forward in the proper manner and to reach everyone we needed to before school released for the summer.”
“We want to thank the health department for making Fannin a priority and working with us to communicate information to our parents through phone calls, letters and parent meetings,” said AISD Superintendent Rod Schroder.
If parents or staff need further information, they may call the City of Amarillo Department of Public Health at 806-378-6300.
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
