All Indio High students, staff to be tested for tuberculosis

All 1,800 students and staff at a Riverside County high school will be screened for tuberculosis after 45 students tested positive for possible exposure to the illness, health officials said Thursday.

The testing is planned for Friday at Indio High School, where officials say the likelihood of the disease spreading remains low, according to the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

“While the number of those who tested positive is higher than we would expect, that does not mean the illness has spread or will spread,” Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser said in as statement. “The likelihood of the illness being passed from one person to the next is remote.”

Riverside County Supervisor John J. Benoit described the situation as serious.

“This is a serious situation that calls for medically necessary precautions to protect the health of our community,” he said.

The testing began Monday after a student was diagnosed with active tuberculosis, officials said.

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