Case of ‘world’s most infectious disease’ detected at primary school – as health chiefs race to contain spread
SOMEONE at a primary school in East Sussex has tested positive for one of the world’s most infectious diseases, according to health chiefs.
Parents and staff at Meridian Community Primary in Peacehaven were sent a letter on March 27 confirming a student has infectious tuberculosis (TB).
England is currently seeing a surge in cases of the deadly Victorian disease, with officials warning in December for Brits to stay alert for symptoms.
The letter, seen by The Argus and signed by headteacher Claire Westcott, said parents would hear next from the Public Health Protection Team.
Children and staff in “regular and close contact” with the pupil will need blood tests at Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital this week as a precaution, it said.
Other children will require a screening in school on Wednesday 23 and 24 and children not in “regular or close contact” will not require any screening.
No further details of the case have been released.
“We are working closely with the school and following national guidelines, which include identifying those with greatest contact and arranging TB screening for them,” Natalie Adams, from UKHSA UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) South East team, said.
“As a precautionary measure we have decided to offer screening to some of those in the school to ensure no further onward transmission,” she told The Sun.
TB is one of the most infectious killer diseases in human history and has started to surge globally for the first time in decades.
The latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency showed cases jumped by more than 11 per cent last year, rising from 4380 in 2022 to 4855 in 2023.
Health officials are now calling the highly infectious bug a “serious public health issue in England“.
TB is a bacterial infection that begins by eating away at the lungs, destroying tissue. It is at this stage, when the infection is most active, that it is at its most infectious.
When someone with active TB coughs, they release small droplets containing the bug into the air, for someone else to breathe in.
From the lungs, it can move to other parts of the body, like the tummy, bones, glands and nervous system.
Symptoms – like prolonged cough, chest pain, weakness, and fever – can be mistaken for a cold.
They often start off mild but can become deadly if left untreated.
Natalie added: “It is important that everyone is aware of the symptoms of TB, which include a prolonged unexplained cough, fevers, and weight loss.
“Greater awareness can mean the condition is diagnosed much faster.”
How can I protect myself and my children against TB?
There is a shot to protect you against tuberculosis called the BCG vaccine.
It’s given during childhood and is currently the most widely used shot globally.
It is no longer offered to secondary school kids in the UK and instead only targets young children deemed most at risk.
The NHS recommends it for the following groups:
- Babies who live in areas of the UK where TB is more common
- Babies and children who live with someone who has TB
- Babies and children who were born or lived in a country where TB is more common
- Babies and children whose parents or grandparents were born in a country where TB is more common
- People aged 35 and under who are spending more than 3 months in a country where TB is more common
- People at risk of getting TB through their work, such as healthcare workers who work with people who have TB