After months of fixation on the spread of swine and seasonal flu on campus, a new concern has emerged: the presence of active tuberculosis in the Davidson community.
Yesterday, the College reported that one community member has been diagnosed positively with tuberculosis, a disease that rarely surfaces, even on college campuses. “In my 15 years at Davidson, this is the first time we have had a case on our campus,” Dean of Students Tom Shandley reported in a campus-wide email.
The individual has remained anonymous, but College officials report that they are undergoing care at a local hospital and that full recovery is expected.
Tuberculosis is caused by airborne bacteria and is contracted by breathing infected air. Symptoms include extensive coughing, fever, weight loss and fatigue.
“Although tuberculosis can be serious, this is not a time for alarm,” Shandley said. “Not everyone who is exposed to tuberculosis becomes infected, and not everyone who is infected becomes sick. The health of our community is of primary importance to us, and we are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy semester for all of our students, faculty and staff.”
The Davidson Health Center, under the direction of Craig White, M.D., promptly assembled a page of frequently asked questions about tuberculosis. The document covers general information about the disease, symptoms and protocol for testing students on campus.
Medical professionals test for the presence of tuberculosis using a skin test, often called a PPD test (this refers to the tuberculin purified protein derivative, the part of the bacterium to which the skin reacts). A positive reaction to the test, characterized by localized swelling at the site of injection, indicates an immune response to tuberculosis bacteria.
This response can be caused by active tuberculosis as well as previous exposure or a previous tuberculosis vaccine (which is not administered in the United States). A subsequent chest x-ray reveals whether an individual who has tested positive is infected with active tuberculosis.
Davidson students who have been identified as “close contacts” of the infected individual have been identified by the Student Health Center and asked to undergo testing. The Health Center stresses that students should wait to be contacted about being tested, as the staff is experienced in managing such situations in a capable and timely manner.
They also assure students that second or thirdhand exposure to an individual with active tuberculosis rarely results in infection. “Although tuberculosis is an infectious disease, the possibility of spreading it through casual contact is low,” the Health Center reported.
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