State health officials probe tuberculosis exposure at Summerville High School
Tue, August 4, 2026 at 2:03 PM
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Pulmonary Tuberculosis . Chest X-ray : interstitial infiltration at left upper lung due to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) —The South Carolina Department of Public Health is investigating a tuberculosis exposure at Summerville High School and is working with school officials to identify people who may have been exposed
In a statement, the department said it cannot identify the person who tested positive for active tuberculosis because of federal and state privacy laws
Health officials said they are working closely with the school to determine which students, staff or others may have been exposed to the tuberculosis germ and should be tested
The agency directed the public to its website and the CDC’s website for additional information and answers tofrequently asked questions about tuberculosis. Officials did not release additional details about the exposure, but they did notify families that they may need testing
In the last five years in South Carolina, the state has had an average of 87 tuberculosis disease cases, according to the Department of Public Health
READ MORE | “SC Dept. of Public Health launches program to combat tuberculosis cases.”
What is Tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that most often affects the lungs and spreads through the air when a person with active TB disease coughs, speaks or sings. It has been around for at least 5,400 years
Tuberculosis was previously called consumption, and in the early 1800s it is believed to have caused about one-third of all deaths globally, according to the Department of Public Health
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who are identified as close contacts of someone with active TB may be advised to undergo testing. The Department of Public Health said tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics
Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases. It is extremely prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, where healthcare isn’t as readily funded. In the United States, Tuberculosis is relatively rare. However, in close settings like jails, schools, detention centers and prisons, spread remains high-risk
People with latent TB infection carry the bacteria that cause tuberculosis but do not have symptoms and cannot spread the infection to others. However, they may develop active TB disease later and are often treated to help prevent that from happening
People with active TB disease have bacteria that are multiplying in the body, typically causing symptoms. Those with TB affecting the lungs or throat can spread the disease to others and are treated with antibiotics to eliminate the infection
Without medication, about 10% of people infected with tuberculosis will develop TB disease at some point in their life, according to the Department of Public Health
According to data from the CDC, in 2025 TB cases were provisionally reported with a corresponding rate of 3.0 cases per 100,000 population. That number represented a decrease of 1% in cases and 2% in rates from 2024 to 2025
In line with previous years, in 2025, TB disease disproportionately affected non-U.S.–born persons. Non-U.S.-born individuals were 77% of total TB cases in 2025. Meanwhile, U.S.-born individuals made up 22%, according to the CDC
Symptoms of tuberculosis include fever, chills, night sweats, loss of appetite, weight loss and fatigue
When was the last outbreak?
One of the more recent large-scale outbreaks occurred in the Kansas City metropolitan area from 2024 through 2025
In 2024, 113 cases of tuberculosis were recorded in Kansas compared to 51 in 2023
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment never identified theients completed treatment, the Kansas Department of Health and Environmentdeclared the end of the outbreak
Other outbreaks include at least 12 people detained at a federal immigration jail in Colorado who contracted the disease in 2026 and at Archbishop Riordan High School, where students and staff tested positive between November 2025 and April 2026, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health
KTVU reported in May that nearly one in five students and staff at San Francisco’s Archbishop Riordan High School have been diagnosed with latent or active tuberculosis, the latest development in an outbreak that started in November
South Carolina’s Tuberculosis Control Program protects the public by identifying cases, treating active tuberculosis disease and latent tuberculosis infection, identifying and testing people exposed to tuberculosis, and conducting targeted evaluations of those at high risk of developing the disease
Tuberculosis reporting requirements are listed on the Department of Public Health’s website
