Positive TB Test Results 'Very Small' At Metro State

DENVER (CBS4)- The TB contact investigation continues at Metro State University in Denver after students, faculty and staff may have been exposed to someone sick with tuberculosis.

Denver Public Health said testing continues and that "a very small" number of positive tests have been identified. No one new has been identified with active or contagious TB.

Denver Public Health said at any given time they would expect a proportion of the population to test positive for TB infection without ever having a known exposure to TB.

In testing of a group this size, Denver Public Health would expect to find four to 10 positive results. Denver Public Health found fewer positive test results than expected.

Because the number of positive test results found is so small, Denver Public Health does not currently believe recent transmission occurred on the MSU Denver campus. Further, Denver Public Health continues to believe the risk of transmission remains quite low.

Individuals who tested positive for TB infection cannot give TB to another person unless they are actively sick. Anyone who received a positive test result is undergoing additional evaluation and will be given appropriate treatment and care to prevent them from getting sick with TB.

Denver Public Health does not currently see a need to test individuals outside of the initial contact investigation. Only those directly contacted by Denver Public Health or MSU Denver need to be tested.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a disease caused by germs that are spread between people through the air, usually affecting a person's lungs. It can be deadly if not properly treated.

Additional Information from Metro State: 

Facts about TB are available on the Denver Metro Tuberculosis Clinic's website. Questions from the general public about TB should be directed to the individual's primary care provider or 303-389-1687.