Dozens Possibly Exposed to TB at Wake Tech

Thursday, March 23, 2006

By Darla Miles

(03/23/06 -- RALEIGH) (WTVD) -- A student at Wake Tech Community College has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. As many as 75 other students may have been exposed.

Officials say there is no reason to believe it will create a major outbreak, but for some students, it is a lesson for health science students.

As a student in the clinical studies portion of his massage therapy program, Christopher Lytello took a TB test last July, but he now has to take another one.

"It kind of scared me a little bit," he said.

Wake Tech officials sent a letter last week to about 4,000 students at the school's Health Sciences Campus off Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh. It says that one student is infected with tuberculosis and other students may have been exposed to the highly contagious disease.

About 75 students received another letter, saying they have been directly exposed to the infected student. Wake Tech is providing free testing to the 75 students next Tuesday, but officials are not expecting an outbreak.

Still, word of TB has changed the way Lytello behaves at school.

"I'm mindful of people," he said. "I try to stay away from people that are coughing a lot, sneezing, as well."

County health officials will answer questions at the Health Sciences campus at noon Friday.

Get more News »