Students receive TB tests
Stephanie Hall
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: News
More than a hundred students and faculty received tuberculosis skin tests Tuesday at the Student Health Center.
"Testing went fine," Brenda Higgins, director of the health center, said. "We don't have total numbers but we did have 35 or 40 students who didn't show up for testing, and so they will be notified again because it is required."
On Oct. 27 the health center confirmed a Truman student has a case of active TB. An e-mail was sent to those students and faculty who came in contact with the student requiring them to be tested.
Higgins said if the students don't respond, they will be turned in to the office of judicial affairs for disciplinary action.
Students and faculty who received a TB test on Tuesday will find out the results today in the SUB Down Under between 8 and 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. A TB skin test is the first step in determining if someone has been infected with tuberculosis.
"If the test is positive, then they will have to have a chest X-ray to determine if it's latent or active tuberculosis," Higgins said. "We will make students appointments and get started with that immediately."
A person with latent TB has the bacteria in their system, and it has a 5 to 10 percent possibility of developing into active TB. A patient with active TB displays symptoms and is contagious.
"I think it went very smoothly," Higgins said. "Most students were very understanding and appreciative of being able to get the test at no charge. I don't think anyone had to wait very long."
Tuesday morning, freshman Emma Hosman visited the health center for the first time. She said two of her house mates and all the students in one of her classes received the e-mail to be tested.
"Well, it's kind of scary, because you know, I dodged the H1N1 thing, and now guess what - you might have TB," Hosmann said.
She said the health center was closed except for TB tests Tuesday, so there were four people there when she went to get tested. The TB test is a shot of tuberculin, which forms a bubble under the patient's skin.
"You have to wait 48 to 72 hours to see how hard the bump is," Hosman said. "If the bump's gone, it's nothing. ... If it's hard and formed a bump, then I think you have it."
Hosman said she doesn't think she has TB because her bump is going away, but that it was a scary experience.
"Testing went fine," Brenda Higgins, director of the health center, said. "We don't have total numbers but we did have 35 or 40 students who didn't show up for testing, and so they will be notified again because it is required."
On Oct. 27 the health center confirmed a Truman student has a case of active TB. An e-mail was sent to those students and faculty who came in contact with the student requiring them to be tested.
Higgins said if the students don't respond, they will be turned in to the office of judicial affairs for disciplinary action.
Students and faculty who received a TB test on Tuesday will find out the results today in the SUB Down Under between 8 and 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m. A TB skin test is the first step in determining if someone has been infected with tuberculosis.
"If the test is positive, then they will have to have a chest X-ray to determine if it's latent or active tuberculosis," Higgins said. "We will make students appointments and get started with that immediately."
A person with latent TB has the bacteria in their system, and it has a 5 to 10 percent possibility of developing into active TB. A patient with active TB displays symptoms and is contagious.
"I think it went very smoothly," Higgins said. "Most students were very understanding and appreciative of being able to get the test at no charge. I don't think anyone had to wait very long."
Tuesday morning, freshman Emma Hosman visited the health center for the first time. She said two of her house mates and all the students in one of her classes received the e-mail to be tested.
"Well, it's kind of scary, because you know, I dodged the H1N1 thing, and now guess what - you might have TB," Hosmann said.
She said the health center was closed except for TB tests Tuesday, so there were four people there when she went to get tested. The TB test is a shot of tuberculin, which forms a bubble under the patient's skin.
"You have to wait 48 to 72 hours to see how hard the bump is," Hosman said. "If the bump's gone, it's nothing. ... If it's hard and formed a bump, then I think you have it."
Hosman said she doesn't think she has TB because her bump is going away, but that it was a scary experience.
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