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Health Officials To Hold TB Information Session At Commack High School

COMMACK, NY (CBSNewYork) -- Health department officials in Suffolk County will be holding an information session about tuberculosis after someone at Commack High School was diagnosed with TB.

The Suffolk County Department of Health alerted the school about the health issue.

The school district says the unidentified person is getting treatment and that health officials say there is no further risk of transmission.

It was not clear if the infected person was a student or a staff member.

The department is also offering TB tests for anyone who fears they might have come into close contact with the patient.

Suffolk County Health Commissioner James Tomarken told 1010 WINS some people in the Commack High School community may have what's called "latent TB."

"We have identified approximately 400 people who meet certain criteria that would be considered contact close enough that they should be tested," he said.

But Tomarken said those 400 people who may have been exposed to TB can't spread it and wouldn't be showing signs of symptoms.

"We have not seen any of these people, they will come either see us on Monday for testing or go to their personal physicians," he said. "But they are what we call asymptomatic because they don't have the active disease. They just may have contracted the bacteria."

He added those people are not infectious or ill and cannot spread TB to others.

Symptoms of TB include a bad cough that lasts more than three weeks, night sweats and coughing up blood or phlegm.

For more information about the meetings with health officials at Commack High School, click here.

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