Fayetteville day care warns of TB risk

Fayetteville, N.C. — Highland Learning Center in Fayetteville sent a letter Wednesday warning that children may have been exposed to tuberculosis at the day care center.

A person at the center has a suspected case of TB, the letter said, but cautioned that the person has not tested positive for the illness.

“This is not life-threatening nor an emergency,” the letter said. “There is nothing for you to do unless you are contacted by the school and notified that your child has been identified as having been exposed to TB.”

A spokesman for the day care, run by Highland Presbyterian Church, did not say whether the possibly infected person was an employee or a child.

TB is an airborne respiratory disease that is transmitted when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. Exposure does not guarantee infection, and treatments exist.

Many children are vaccinated for tuberculosis, but it is not among the state’s requirements for childhood vaccines.