The Fresno County Department of Public Health is investigating a potential tuberculosis exposure linked to Fresno State and Fresno City College, in collaboration with their student health clinics.

Tuberculosis is contagious and can spread through coughing, sneezing, or talking. It’s a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs but also can spread to the brain, kidneys, and spine.

Students and staff who may have been exposed will be asked to complete a survey and offered testing to assess their risk for TB infection. The partnership between the county public health department and the student health clinics is to ensure that all those who might have been exposed are notified and tested.

Symptoms of active TB include:

• A cough that lasts three weeks or longer
• Coughing up blood or sputum (phlegm from deep inside the lungs)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Night sweats

According to the California Department of Public Health, the number of reported active TB cases increased from 1,842 in 2022 to 2,113 in 2023, a 15% increase. From 2020 through 2023, active TB cases in California have increased by 24%.

Fresno County reported 31 active TB cases in 2022 and 39 in 2023. The county’s TB Control Program has also seen an unusual number of severe TB infections in recent months among young people requiring hospitalization and short-term medical care.

TB is a serious illness but is preventable.

More information on TB is available at this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.