Two Elmhurst University students tested positive for tuberculosis Thursday, according to a statement from university president Troy VanAken. They have been isolated and placed under medical supervision.
The private liberal arts school has been working with the DuPage County Health Department to identify and notify individuals who may have been exposed to the potentially serious but treatable bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs.
Close contacts, many of whom had already been contacted by Friday, are being offered free testing.
Tuberculosis is an airborne illness that spreads via germs released when an infected person coughs or speaks. Prolonged close contact is typically required for the illness to be transmitted from one person to another.
Common symptoms include coughing, chest pains, and coughing up blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Not every infected person becomes ill, so the DuPage health department encourages individuals known to be around someone with an active case of tuberculosis to contact their healthcare provider about being tested even if they don’t feel sick.
