State health officials are recommending students and staff at Hartsville High School get tested for tuberculosis after a second case linked to last school year was identified there last week.
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), the individual recently developed active tuberculosis (TB) disease after likely being infected during the 2024–2025 academic term.
TB bacteria can remain dormant in the body for months or years before causing illness. DPH says symptoms and active disease can emerge long after initial exposure.
Health officials say the new case raises concerns that other students or staff members may have been unknowingly infected during the previous school year and remain at risk of developing the disease.
DPH is partnering with Hartsville High School and the Darlington County School District to offer voluntary TB testing to all current and former students, teachers, and staff who were on campus during the 2024–2025 school term. All testing provided through DPH will be free to families or staff.
State officials had previously offered testing across the school during the 2024–2025 school year, following an initial exposure. But not everyone participated in the initial round of voluntary screenings. DPH says some individuals who sought testing through private providers may have received skin tests that were not reported to the state registry.
“We urge the school community to get tested,” said Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the DPH Bureau of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control. “Testing is the only way to know if the TB germ entered the body and infected a person. If the test result is positive, additional testing is needed to determine if a person has active TB disease, which can be very contagious and puts others at risk."
DPH emphasized that testing through the state health department ensures fast lab processing and allows medical follow-up or preventative treatment to begin promptly if needed.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily targets the lungs. It spreads through the air when a person with active, contagious TB coughs, sneezes, or speaks.
The CDC classifies TB by inactive infection and active infection:
Inactive (Latent) TB: When a person breathes in the bacteria, their body’s immune system often walls it off. Inactive TB causes no symptoms and cannot be spread to others. However, without treatment, about 10% of people with latent TB will eventually develop active TB disease during their lifetime, with the highest risk occurring within the first two years after infection.
Active TB Disease: If the bacteria multiplies and causes active disease, a person becomes sick and can spread the infection to others. Common symptoms of active TB disease include: A persistent cough (sometimes coughing up blood or sputum), chest pain, unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite, fever, chills, and night sweats and persistent fatigue.
DPH advises anyone experiencing these symptoms to consult a doctor or contact their local public health department immediately to speak with a TB nurse. Testing logistics and instructions have been distributed directly to Hartsville High School faculty, staff, and student families through the district.
Residents seeking more details about state protocols for school-related health investigations or general guidance on tuberculosis can visit the South Carolina Department of Public Health website.