2 days ago
Tuberculosis case diagnosed on Texas State campus
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A person at Texas State University, or TXST, was diagnosed with tuberculosis disease, according to a message shared with the campus.
The Hays County Health Department informed the university of the diagnosis Tuesday. The person was at the San Marcos campus.
'While the chance of exposure and infection is minimal, we wanted to make you aware,' the message said.
TXST wouldn't specify if the person diagnosed was a student, staff member or visitor, saying it couldn't provide more information in order to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.
TXST said the health department would notify individuals who have had close contact with the person who tested positive.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is caused by a bacterium and usually affects people's lungs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can be deadly, and people with active TB disease can experience cough, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, chills and night sweats. It spreads through the air. People can have the germs in their bodies but not show symptoms, which is called inactive TB. The disease can be deadly, but there is medicine to treat it, according to the CDC.
There were 1,242 tuberculosis cases in Texas in 2023, according to the latest data available on the Texas Department of State Health Services' website. There were three cases reported in Hays County that year.
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