Tuberculosis Exposure Reported At San Diego-Area Elementary School

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego County public health officials were working Thursday to notify families and staff about a potential tuberculosis exposure at Sunset Elementary School.

People were potentially exposed to TB between July 5, 2025, to Oct. 21, 2025, at the school at 3825 Sunset Lane in San Ysidro, according to the county.

Those at the highest risk of infection have already been notified, health officials said. Free TB screening will be offered to students and staff who may have had increased risk of infection.

TB is an airborne disease that spreads when someone with active TB coughs, speaks, sings or breathes. Anyone with prolonged indoor exposure to someone with active TB should be tested.

"Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss," said Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the county's public health officer

"Most people who become infected after exposure to tuberculosis do not get sick right away. This is called latent TB infection," Thihalolipavan said. "Some who become infected with tuberculosis will become ill in the future, sometimes even years later, if their latent TB infection is not treated. For people who think they may have been exposed, blood tests and skin tests are an effective way to determine an infection."

Effective treatments are available for both active TB and latent TB.

People who test positive for TB but do not have active symptoms likely have latent TB and should get a chest X-ray and talk to a medical provider, officials said.

Officials advised people who have symptoms of active TB, or those who are immunocompromised, to seek medical evaluation to rule out active TB and determine whether preventive treatment is needed.

TB cases in the county have been on the rise in recent years. Reported cases rose from 193 in 2020 to 265 in 2025.

An estimated 175,000 people in the region have latent TB infection and are at risk for developing active TB without preventive treatment, officials said.