Three more tuberculosis cases have been reported in northeast
China, bringing the total number of patients to 32, a local health
official confirmed Tuesday.
The three infected, all students at the No. 1 Senior High School
in Chaoyang city in Liaoning Province, were discovered in a
school-wide screening. No information about their treatment is
currently available.
Previous reports mentioned 29 sick students from the school.
Fourteen students, eight of whom are seriously ill, are receiving
free treatment at isolation wards in the city's TB prevention and
treatment hospital.
The first student fell ill in June, and more were confirmed ill
at the end of July.
No cases have been reported outside the campus, according to
local sources, and 20 of the 32 patients are from Class three in
Grade ten.
The school, established in 1904, is predominantly a boarding
school catering to students from the rural areas. As it is a key
experimental school in Liaoning, the school offers paid classes
during vacations.
The latency period for TB is usually two months and screening is
still going on.
(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)