University student tests positive for tuberculosis in Cleveland County

SHELBY, N.C. — The Cleveland County Health Department is investigating after an individual at Gardner-Webb University tested positive for tuberculosis.

Health officials said they were notified about the case on March 4 and are required to investigate by law and follow the North Carolina TB Control Program protocols.

While the community needs to be aware of this situation, the department said a relatively small number of individuals are likely to have been exposed, and no one is at immediate risk of any health problems.

Tuberculosis is a disease that generally develops over weeks to months, and it is completely curable with medications. It is transmitted when a sick person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. The germs are expelled into the air, and if a nearby person breathes them in, that person can become infected with TB.

“TB generally develops over weeks to months and is completely curable if detected early and treated properly with medication,” said DeShay Oliver, Deputy Health Director, Cleveland County Health Department. Symptoms include a productive cough lasting longer than three weeks, unexplained fever, profuse sweating at night, appetite loss, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, chest pain, and excessive fatigue. However, all of these symptoms can be caused by many other diseases besides TB.”

Health officials said a positive test result does not mean that a person is sick with TB or that he or she will develop TB disease. If an individual has a positive TB skin test, he or she will be referred to the Cleveland County Health Department for further follow-up.

Health officials said they have worked with Gardner-Webb University faculty and staff to identify individuals who may have been exposed to the disease through close and prolonged contact with the positive individual.

Everyone identified as a contact will be notified directly by phone, text, or e-mail explaining the need to be tested for TB. The vast majority of employees and students will not be contacted, and do not need any testing or treatment for tuberculosis.

Only individuals who are contacted directly by university staff, identifying them as a potential contact will need to be tested. The university is working directly with the Cleveland County Health Department to arrange tuberculosis testing on campus at no cost to potentially exposed individuals.

“After consultation with the health department and thorough contact investigations, we are confident we have a good list of possible contacts. There is no need to test the entire university population,” said Barry Lane, Director of Environmental and Occupational Safety for Gardner-Webb University.

To learn more about tuberculosis, visit https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm.

For questions or additional information, contact the Cleveland County Health Department at 980-484-5100.

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