Active Tuberculosis Case Confirmed At UMass Boston: Reports

BOSTON, MA — A person on the UMass Boston campus has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, with around 39 others potentially exposed, according to multiple reports that cite a letter to the community school officials sent Monday.

The patient's connection with the school has not been identified, University Health Services Director Robert Pomales said, according to NBC10 Boston.

Officials added that the patient is being treated and may have been infected years before the flare-up, the outlet reported.

"Although TB is a serious disease caused by a germ that is spread through the air, it is important to note that the general UMass Boston community is not at increased risk for getting a TB infection as a result of this case," Pomales wrote.

The Boston Public Health Commission said it was working with the university and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to investigate the case, according to WCVB.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection and does not spread easily from person to person, according to the American Lung Association.

When a person with tuberculosis coughs, sneezes, or shouts, they can spray germs into the air which another person can breathe in, the Boston Public Health Commission said on its website. Seventy percent of those infected with tuberculosis have the germs in their lungs, however, it can infect other places in the body such as the bone, brain, or heart, officials added.

A person is usually only infected following prolonged exposure to someone with the disease, the American Lung Association noted.

Symptoms of active tuberculosis infection can include cough, increased phlegm, coughing blood, lumps in the neck, pain in the bones or back, headache, pain when moving head, stiff neck, and fever, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

A simple test on your arm can tell if you have the tuberculosis germ in your body, health officials said. You may also need a chest x-ray or sputum test.

Calling tuberculosis "a very treatable and curable disease," health officials released a statement obtained by WCVB encouraging members of the UMass Boston community to reach out to a healthcare provider if they are concerned about possible exposure.