Cumberland County Public Health Department officials were notified July 9 of a suspected tuberculosis case at Fayetteville Technical Community College, officials said Monday. 

They are investigating the case according to the North Carolina TB Control Program protocols.

Starting this morning, public health officials will be calling, e-mailing and sending letters to 58 of FTCC's 40,000 students and three of its faculty members who need to take a TB skin test. The individuals may have been exposed through close and prolonged contact with a student at FTCC who is suspected of having TB.

Testing will be conducted at the Health Department on Fountainhead Lane throughout the week. Only those individuals contacted by the Health Department need testing.

"The students and staff at FTCC should not be alarmed. At the time a suspected TB case is discovered, it is standard procedure to skin test individuals who may have been exposed. This is not life threatening nor an emergency. TB generally develops over weeks to months and is completely curable if detected early and treated properly," said Jane Stevens, interim Health Department Director.

The vast majority of FTCC students will not be contacted, Stevens said. "If you do not receive a letter, telephone call or e-mail, you do not need testing," Stevens said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention control Web site:

"TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The bacteria are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

However, not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. People who are infected but not sick have what is called latent TB infection. People who have latent TB infection do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB to others. But, some people with latent TB infection go on to get TB disease.

The signs and symptoms of TB are: a bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer; pain in the chest; coughing up blood or sputum; weakness or fatigue; weight loss; no appetite; chills; fever; sweating at night."

If you have questions about TB, go to the CDC Web site.

The Health Department will provide updates as warranted via the Cumberland County Web site.