Plant City High School has tuberculosis case

Plant City, Florida - Hillsborough Health Department officials confirmed a case of tuberculosis at Plant City High School. Health officials received confirmation on Wednesday and the next day letters went out to student's families.

One letter was issued to about 300 students and staff who may have been exposed. The other letter went out to the rest of the student body making them aware of the situation. The school district says seven classes and the entire lunch room staff will need to be tested. The skin test will be issued on Tuesday.

Parents don't seem to be concerned. "If it comes the time they say she needs to be tested she'll be one of the first one's there," says Kim Carter, daughter is an 11th grader at Plant HS.

Kim Wills says she hopes her children's swine flu prevention behavior will keep them safe from TB, "Make sure they keep hands washed, don't use other people's stuff and if they are sneezing stay away from them."

"Everybody is talking about it wondering who has it because we don't know," says 11th grader Lucia Rodriguez. She adds, "They say it's contagious you can get it like that so everyone is trying to stay away from everyone else."

TB is a contagious lung infection that is spread through coughing and prolonged and very close contact with the person infected. If left untreated it could be fatal.

Health officials say unlike the swine flu that comes on quickly TB's symptoms are slower to be seen. "TB symptoms come on gradually. There's a cough that's persistent and lasts more than 3 weeks and does not get better. Then there are night sweats and weight loss finally a patient cough's up blood."

Health officials say the disease is treatable.

Click here for full coverage of H1N1