Lab tests have confirmed that a Jurupa Valley child has leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, Riverside County public health officials reported Thursday, Sept. 22.

The findings by the National Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Laboratory Research Program in Baton Rouge, La., supported a local doctor’s diagnosis that a student at Indian Hills Elementary School had leprosy.

A second student who may be related to the other child also had been diagnosed with the disease, but lab results did not confirm that the second person has leprosy.

UPDATE: Leprosy worries remain for some Jurupa Valley parents

News of the lab-test confirmation was provided to Jurupa Unified School District officials about 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.

School officials quickly alerted parents by phone and email, and district Superintendent Elliott Duchon drove to Indian Hills Elementary School to answer questions from parents.

“We want to assure people that the school is a safe place. There’s no hazard of contagion at the school,” Duchon said later by phone.

Duchon said the best way to protect the children from possible mistreatment when they return to school is to maintain their privacy.

“The only way to protect the two students is for nobody to know who they are,” he said. … “The message to the other students is the school is safe, was safe, always has been safe.”

During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Riverside County’s health officer said the infected child is being treated, is expected to recover, and poses no risk to the public.

“The risk to the public was near zero before and now it is nil,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser.

During the same Riverside press conference, Riverside County Director of Disease Control Barbara Cole said the child was infected through prolonged contact with another infected person.

That other person is not in Riverside County, said Cole, adding she could not provide more details.

Leprosy experts say the disease is not highly contagious and is not easily transmitted in a group setting like classrooms. Leprosy is not contagious 24 hours after a patient begins taking a combination of antibiotics.

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“Leprosy is really hard to get and really easy to treat,” Kaiser said.

A school neighbor said he was shocked to hear leprosy had been confirmed.

“It’s surprising. We hear things in the news, but we never imagine these things will happen close by,” said 23-year-old Cristian Monreal.

Monreal, who lives across the street from Indian Hills school, said he felt sympathy for the child now confirmed to have the disease.

“It’s scary and sad at the same time, knowing that little kid has to go through that,” he said.

Krista Gregg, whose three children go to the school, said the lab results don’t bother her. She researched the disease by talking with her family doctor and looking at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

“I’m not nervous at all about sending my kids there,” she said while watching her second-grader play Little League baseball at Clay Park.

Staff writer David Danelski contributed to this report.

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Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@scng.com