Health department allows Hong Kong school to remain open after tuberculosis outbreak

The Department of Health stopped short on Wednesday of ordering a Sha Tin secondary school to close after a tuberculosis outbreak prompted 70 pupils and teachers to undergo screenings for the disease.

Officials at Kiangsu-Chekiang College (Sha Tin) said they would ask the department to offer further X-rays and blood tests so all school staff and pupils – more than 1,000 people – could have their safety ensured.

Six pupils and one female teacher from the school contracted the infectious disease after a Form Four pupil was first diagnosed in September, the department’s Dr Leung Chi-chiu said.

All those affected were in stable condition. The Form Four pupil is on sick leave and resting at home and one woman teacher is still in hospital. Other infected pupils had recovered and were back in school but required to wear face masks.

“There is no need to suspend school due to TB,” Leung said on Wednesday. “Except the one pupil who was the source of infection, all other people were diagnosed with latent TB, which has no symptoms and low transmittable ability.”

About a quarter of the global population is infected with latent TB, according to the World Health Organisation, and about 10 per cent of them will become active TB at some point as they grow older, more likely when they reach 65 or above.

Leung said TB was a curable disease, stressing the situation was under control and he would not expect a spread of the disease in the community.