Barrington High student diagnosed with TB

Barrington High School is taking precautions today after one of its students was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Barrington Area Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard said school officials are alerting parents to the diagnosis as a precaution, even though they do not believe the student body or staff are at risk to exposure.

No specific information or prognosis was released on the student, who is not current attending classes.

"There is no epidemic or anything of that nature," Leonard said.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air and usually affects the lungs.

After examining the lists of all students and staff that have been in close enough proximity to be at risk of infection, Leonard said the district contacted 28 people.

All of those individuals have been personally notified by the school's nursing staff and are being tested per the directive of the Lake County Health Department, Leonard said.

Parents whose student has an underlying health concern who would like to discuss the issue are urged to contact the high school health office at (847) 842-3288.

For more information on tuberculosis, visit cdc.gov/tb/pubs/tbfactsheets/tb.htm.