State says only three chlamydia cases in entire county of West Texas high school

A high school in Crane is dealing with a Chlamydia outbreak after 20 cases were reported at the school. A high school in Crane is dealing with a Chlamydia outbreak after 20 cases were reported at the school. Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close State says only three chlamydia cases in entire county of West Texas high school 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

A previously reported group of chlamydia cases at a West Texas high school is much smaller than initially thought, according to the state health department.

Reports of 20 confirmed cases among the 300 or so students at Crane High School drew national headlines this week and were largely based on comments and a letter sent by the small school district's superintendent. On Thursday, a spokeswoman with the Texas Department of State Health Services said there have only been three confirmed cases in the county and those were not necessarily students.

KOSA-TV, a West Texas CBS affiliate, initially reported on Friday that the Crane ISD sent a letter to parents last week notifying them of 20 cases of chlamydia among high school students.

In a subsequent phone interview with this San Antonio Express-News, Crane ISD Superintendent Jim T. Rumage confirmed that report.

After state officials told media outlets Thursday that there were only three cases in Crane County, Rumage told NewsWest 9 that local physicians had initally contacted him to let him know that a number of students had recently been tested for the sexually transmitted disease, that typically shows no symptoms in men and some cases in women.

Before the test results were received, Rumage sent a letter to parents of juniors and seniors about the 20 cases because the school was "trying to be proactive and do what we felt like was best for kids."

Original reports indicated that the letters were sent to parents prior to the ISD notifying the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Christine Mann, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a phone interview Thursday that only three cases of chlamydia have been confirmed in the entire Crane County within the past few weeks and only eight cases since Jan. 1. Those numbers include all residents, not just students.

Mann said healthcare facilities such as laboratories are required to notify DSHS of chlamydia cases within seven days of receiving positive test results.

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The high school has three days of sex education in the fall semester for students, with the curriculum including abstinence. Rumage cited abstinence as a useful methodology for keeping kids away from sexual activity in a phone interview Monday.

“If kids are not having any sexual activity, they can’t get this disease … That’s not a bad program,” Rumage said.

Rumage said officials met Monday to develop a curriculum that will be recommended to the school board on May 19.

Crane is located in Texas Public Health Region 9, which had 3,269 cases of chlamydia and a rate of 535.8 per 100,000 in 2013, according to the Texas Department of State Public Health Services STD Surveillance Report.

Chlamydia is a treatable sexually transmitted disease, but can lead to permanent damage in women’s reproductive systems. Men rarely have lasting health problems linked to the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Crane County had 17 cases in 2013, with a rate of 256.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to state records.

Bexar County had the eighth-highest rates of chlamydia case rates per 100,000 people in 2013 with 636.7.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite

Editor's note: This story initially reported the state health department spokeswoman confirmed three cases of chlamydia among Crane High School students. There have been three confirmed cases in Crane County.