MAINE CDC: Case of Tuberculosis Confirmed on Maine College Campus

According to the Maine Centers For Disease Control, a case of tuberculosis has been confirmed on a college campus in the State of Maine.

In an article published by WGME 13, the case of TB was confirmed in a person at the University of Maine at Machias. The report indicates that the Maine CDC notified officials at the college back on October 24 that at least one person had shown symptoms of the potentially life-threatening illness.

At that time, the school system swiftly notified any and all students who may have been in close proximity to the infected person, according to the news station.

WGME noted that the school additionally told students and staff that if they HAD in fact been in close proximity they should also be tested as TB can be easily transmitted from person to person.

According to the CDC, tuberculosis is driven by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They explain that transmission of the disease can happen through the air if an infected person is talking, sneezing or coughing.

And it's not just the lungs that can be affected. The CDC says that this potentially deadly bacteria can move around the body and harm the spine, brain and even kidneys.

Fortunately, the CDC says that the likelihood of transmission remains low and that tuberculosis is a disease that isn't just curable, but also preventable.

At this time, there is no information to support that the disease has spread to any additional students or staff on the U-Maine Machias campus.