Lumberton students test positive for TB

Seven students and a staff member at Lumberton High School have tested positive for tuberculosis infection, Robeson County Health Director Bill Smith said Thursday.

The school initiated the tests on more than 200 people after one student developed the illness, Smith said.

Tuberculosis is an airborne respiratory disease that is transmitted when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. Exposure does not guarantee infection. A person can contract the disease and be symptom-free. These cases, called inactive, are not contagious. Inactive TB can become active at a later date. The most common treatment is a course of antibiotics.

Those who tested positive received a course of antibiotics and will receive follow-up care, including a chest X-ray and further tests, Smith said.