The San Francisco Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed a case of active tuberculosis in an individual connected to Archbishop Riordan High School.
Health officials said the person is in isolation and emphasized that the risk to the broader public remains low. They did not specify whether it was a student or a faculty member.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious disease that spreads through the air when someone with active TB in their lungs coughs, speaks, or breathes near others over a prolonged period.
Archbishop Riordan High School is a co-educational Catholic school located in San Francisco’s Westwood Park neighborhood.
“The health of the school community is our top priority, and we thank Archbishop Riordan High School for their partnership in responding to this preventable and curable disease,” Dr. Susan Philip, the city’s health officer, said in a statement. “SFDPH will continue to work closely with the school to ensure that people in the community are safe and informed.”
The department is contacting those who may have been in close contact with the individual to arrange testing. According to health officials, casual or brief interactions rarely lead to infection.
Tuberculosis can present in two forms: active and latent.
People with active TB may experience prolonged cough, fever and weight loss and can spread the bacteria to others. Those with latent TB do not feel sick or spread the disease but can develop active TB if left untreated. Both forms are curable with medication.
In 2024, San Francisco recorded 91 cases of active TB, according to public health data. Officials said they will alert the public if additional measures become necessary.
This article originally published at San Francisco health officials confirm tuberculosis case linked to local high school.