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SAN BENITO — San Benito school district officials are awaiting test results to determine whether a high school case of tuberculosis may have spread.
After district officials announced an “individual” had tested positive for the rare lung infection March 27, the Cameron County Public Health Department tested 160 students and six district staff members, Luis Gonzales, the district’s spokesman, said in a statement.
Now, district officials are awaiting test results expected two to three days after testing, Acting Superintendent Fred Perez said Tuesday.
“I‘m sure if anyone comes out positive, we’d be informed,” Perez said.
Officials are counting on receiving test results by the end of the week, Esmeralda Guajardo, the county health department’s administrator, said.
“Historically, we’ve always had very low positive reactors,” she said, referring to tuberculosis test results. “High school students are generally healthy. They’re young and healthy.”
Guajardo described tuberculosis as an airborne infection requiring about six to eight hours of continuous exposure to spread.
On Tuesday, district officials referred questions to the county health department.
“San Benito Consolidated Independent School District has fully responded and cooperated with the Cameron County Public Health Department notification of a single confirmed tuberculosis case at San Benito High School,” officials stated.
After the county health department reviewed the case, officials identified 148 high school students, 12 Veterans Memorial Academy students along with six staff members for testing, Gonzales said in a statement.
“The Cameron County Public Health Department is solely responsible for tracking this case as a public health issue as required under Texas Department of Health guidelines,” he said. “The Cameron County Public Health Department conducted all the screening and testing of the students and staff listed on the immediate contact list. All laboratory testing and results will be managed by the Cameron County Public Health Department.”
On March 27, the county health department told district officials “an individual at San Benito High School had tested positive for tuberculosis.”
“The San Benito CISD administrative team immediately began to coordinate with CCPH to initiate all protocols necessary to address this case,” Gonzales said.
On March 28, county health department members met with Texas Department of Health officials “to determine the next steps of identifying potential exposure and to develop testing guidelines for those students and staff at San Benito High School and Veterans’ Memorial Academy,” Gonzales said.
Then on April 2, district administrators met with county health officials to study the state department’s recommendations including conducting an “assessment” of San Benito High School’s health, ventilation and air conditioning system while reviewing “identified classroom spaces.”
On April 3, district and county health department officials “identified, reviewed and verified the list of students and staff recommended for TB testing,” including 148 high school students, 12 Veterans Memorial Academy students and six staff members, Gonzales said.
“The parents of those students and the SBCISD staff members were emailed the
SBCISD notification letter, the Cameron County Health Department letter, the parent consent form for TB testing and an informational notice of TB,” Gonzales said, adding the information was provided in English and Spanish on April 3.
“It is important to note that if a notification email was not received from San Benito CISD, other SBHS and VMA students and the additional SBCISD staff were determined not at risk of immediate exposure to this tuberculosis case by Cameron County Public Health Department and San Benito CISD,” he said.
On April 4, district officials held a meeting with notified parents and staff at the high school’s library “to share TB testing information and answer questions,” Gonzales said.
Then on Monday, officials, who “highly encouraged” students and staff members on the list be tested,” conducted tests at the high school’s gymnasium from 9 a.m. to noon, he said.
