Health officials report possible tuberculosis exposure at Georgetown Elementary School

GEORGETOWN, Del. – The Division of Public Health (DPH) and the Indian River School District have announced that roughly 50 people at Georgetown Elementary School may have been exposed to someone with active tuberculosis (TB).

DPH is working to contact with those individuals to offer free screenings along with treatment, if needed. They are urging those who have been exposed and become infected with TB bacteria to seek treatment to prevent development of TB disease.

Letters with information on testing and a fact sheet will be sent home on Tuesday with those identified for testing. A general information letter and fact sheet will be sent home with the remaining students.

Indian River School District Superintendent Mark Steele is reassuring everyone that the school district is taking precautionary steps to keep everyone healthy.

“In consulting with the Division of Public Health, we believe the risk of transmission in this case to be low. However, as a precautionary measure, we join DPH in recommending that certain individuals be tested for the disease. We have facilitated testing for those individuals determined to be in need of screening. The Indian River School District is committed to taking every possible precaution to assure the health and safety of students, staff, and parents”, said Steele.

If you would like more information on TB, you can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website by clicking here, or the Division of Public Health website here.