Seven students take TB test in Centerville | Macon Telegraph

Seven students from Thomson Middle School in Centerville have taken a tuberculosis screening test following a report of a fellow student being diagnosed with the disease.

Robin Hines, assistant superintendent for school operations in Houston County, said Thursday the students were tested Wednesday after their parents received a letter encouraging them to have their children tested.

Tests were not administered at the Houston County Health Department on Thursday because of the time factor, Hines said. According to Dr. David Harvey of the North Central Health District in Macon, TB test results have to be read by a certified healthcare worker between 48 to 72 hours after the skin injection or there must be a retest. A test administered on a Thursday would have to be read on a Saturday or Sunday, days the Houston County Health Department is closed.

Harvey said Thursday the school system has been working well with the county health department and the North Central Health District in making parents aware of the situation.

The student was diagnosed with tuberculosis in early June, after classes were dismissed for the summer, said Houston School Superintendent David Carpenter.