Officials Warn Of 2 Possible Leprosy Cases At Jurupa Valley School

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA – Jurupa Unified School District officials say they acted out of an abundance of caution in sending a letter to parents Friday warning that two students at Indian Hills Elementary School had symptoms consistent with leprosy.

"We wanted parents of the students to know, we wanted to get ahead of any rumors and make sure they had access to ample information,'' Superintendent Elliott Duchon told the Press-Enterprise on Sunday.

Riverside County Director of Disease and Control Barbara Cole told KCAL9 that a nurse at the school contacted the health agency on Friday.

She said the department is running tests and working on talking with the two students'parents. It was unclear what the symptoms were, or if the two students are related.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, leprosy -- or Hansen's disease -- "is not highly transmissible, is very treatable, and, with early diagnosis and treatment, is not disabling.''

The agency also says that 95 percent of the world's population is naturally immune to the disease.

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--City News Service/File photo