MARIETTA, Ga. — After hundreds of students and staff at Walton High School in Marietta were tested on Tuesday due to possible tuberculosis (TB) exposure, none received positive results, officials said.
According to Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH), its agency and the Walton High School administration identified those who may have been exposed to TB germs and administered a mandatory Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) to them.
The possible exposure came after one person tested positive for the disease, CDPH said.
Although it was originally reported that approximately 300 people had been identified, only around 200 students and faculty tested through CDPH.
The agency said on Thursday that none of those individuals had tested positive. They will be required to do a confirmatory test in eight to 10 weeks and will be notified by the school with the date and time for that second test.
CDPH said that those who did not get tested on Tuesday must get tested by a private physician. Before they are allowed to return to school, they will be responsible for providing a written report on a physician's office letterhead verifying the test was completed with the date and result.
Following the announcement on Tuesday about a need for testing, a spokesperson for Cobb County Schools said the district "continues to work closely with the local public health department to protect student and staff health while respecting medical privacy."
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