District: Pa. student diagnosed with having tuberculosis attends school without clearance

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that mainly attacks the lungs. A Pennsylvania high school student was diagnosed with tuberculosis “a couple of weeks ago.” Spencer Platt/Getty

A Pennsylvania high school student who tested positive for tuberculosis attended school without clearance from a doctor, the school district announced.

Charleroi Area School District (CASD) Superintendent Ed Zelich wrote in a message to families Monday that the student was diagnosed with tuberculosis “a couple of weeks ago.” Once district officials realized the high schooler was in school without authorization, the student was “immediately isolated” and sent home, Zelich said.

The areas where the student was isolated were “thoroughly cleaned,” the superintendent said. He also noted CASD officials later spoke with local health officials, who determined a “public health action” was not necessary for the district.

“Please know that we are closely monitoring the situation and will continue to work with the appropriate health authorities to ensure our students and staff’s safety and well-being,” Zelich wrote.

Zelich in a Dec. 27 message had told the community CASD was aware of social media posts containing “inaccurate information” regarding a “supposed” tuberculosis outbreak. He said at the time there were no “active” tuberculosis cases involving any CASD students or staff members.

In October, approximately 200 students and staff at Walton High School in Cobb County, Georgia, were tested for tuberculosis after a possible exposure. The individuals were administered tuberculin skin tests at the time by Cobb & Douglas Public Health.

The tests ultimately revealed no Walton students or staff tested positive for tuberculosis, according to Cobb & Douglas Public Health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) wrote in its 2024 global tuberculosis report cases of the disease had increased internationally, with 8.2 million people worldwide being diagnosed in 2023. That figure was a jump from a total of 7.5 million cases in 2022, the report said.

WHO noted the rise in cases reflected population growth, as well as that the U.S. was not one of the five countries found to account for 56% of the worldwide total.

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