TB outbreak hits Birmingham school

Apr 30 2008

AN outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) at a Birmingham school is being investigated, it has emerged.

Pupils at Birchfield Independent School for Girls were tested after a pupil and one of their relatives were diagnosed with the disease.

Health officials said 30 pupils at the school, which teaches an Islamic curriculum, had tested positive for TB. The school, in Beacon Hill, Aston, confirmed the outbreak but has refused to comment further.

A pupil contracted TB last summer and was successfully treated, but another family member later became ill.

The decision to test pupils at the school was taken in February.

Dr Andrew Rouse, a consultant in public health, said there was no need for the public to be alarmed.

He said the patients were being treated at the Birmingham Chest Clinic and the Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The girls at the school who have the disease will undergo a series of monthly injections to fight the disease.

Birchfield provides education for girls aged between 11 and 16.