tuberculosis

A radiographer reads an X-ray of a man that came negative for tuberculosis. Summit County Public Health officials are currently investigating a suspected tuberculosis infection at Akron's North High School.

(Lefteris Pitarakis, AP Photo)

AKRON, Ohio -- Summit County Public Health officials are investigating a case of tuberculosis at Akron's North High School.

The agency said Thursday that it is conducting an investigation to identify and contact all exposed individuals. The agency would not say whether the patient is a student or staff member because of privacy laws.

Tuberculosis is spread through prolonged exposure to an infected person who is coughing, laughing, singing or speaking, the agency said in a news release

While most cases are curable using antibiotics, the disease is potentially dangerous to the young, elderly and those with weak immune systems.

About one-third of the world's population is infected with latent tuberculosis, according to the World Health Organization. That means people have been infected by tuberculosis bacteria but are not yet ill with the disease and cannot transmit the disease.

When a person develops active tuberculosis, the symptoms may be mild for many months, the organization says. Someone with active TB can infect 10-15 other people over the course of a year.

Summit County Public Health is staffing a TB information-line starting at 8 a.m. The TB information-line number is 330-926-5795.