Davidson College officials said Monday that an unnamed person on campus is being treated for tuberculosis and others who came in contact with the person are being tested for the disease.

In an announcement on its website, the college said the Mecklenburg County Health Department confirmed that the person has an active case of the infectious lung disease. The notice says the person was being treated at an unnamed area hospital, and was expected to recover fully. A spokeswoman would not say if the person is a student, staff member or professor, saying the college wanted to protect the person’s privacy.

In the web notice, the college said, “Tuberculosis is a highly curable and preventable disease that is spread through the air via repeated exposure to an active carrier’s coughing and sneezing. Once diagnosed, tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics. In this case, the Mecklenburg County Health Department has advised that there is minimal risk of infection to the general campus population.”

As a precaution, others on campus who came in contact with the person are being tested. The spokeswoman would not say how many might be tested.

LINK

Read the full notice from Davidson College, and find links to sites with information about tuberculosis, on the college website, www.davidson.edu.