TB outbreak hits posh SF private school — forcing events to be cancelled and calls for masks

A tuberculosis outbreak has struck a ritzy private Catholic school in San Francisco, where a least three people were confirmed to have active cases of the bacterial lung infection, according to reports.

Officials working to contain the disease at Archbishop Riordan High School — where tuition goes for $28,000 a year — have ordered every student and staff member to undergo TB testing by Feb. 20, or they will be barred from the campus, according to the city’s health department.

“It’s quite easily transmitted in closed settings, and none of us are immune in the United States,” Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, told SFGATE, calling a three-case cluster at a single high school “really bad.”

The first case was detected back in mid-November, prompting health officials to test each of the institution’s 1,500 student at that time, according to KTVU. 

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Two more cases have now been found. The third confirmed case, reported Tuesday, has forced health officials to essentially reset the clock on their investigation, meaning the entire school community must be re-screened to ensure the infection isn’t silently moving through the hallways.

“Everybody’s kind of around everybody,” junior Alejandro Rosales, told the station. “All of us have to get tests.”

The school has canceled events such as basketball games — and health officials have recommended people at the school wear COVID-19-era-style face masks, the station said.

“We will take every measure available to ensure the safety and wellbeing of faculty, staff, students, and their families, and we are committed to providing frequent, consistent updates to members of the Riordan community,” Tim Reardon, the president of the school, said.

The pricey school, which only became co-ed in 2020, has amenities such as a sailing team.

Tuberculosis, once known as “consumption,” is spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even speaks, according to the CDC. While it is curable with a months-long course of antibiotics, if left untreated, it can be fatal.