Marquette Community Health Advisory Released: Feb. 8, 2005 The Milwaukee Health Department and Marquette are closely working together after learning that a Marquette student who lives off campus has tested positive for tuberculosis (TB).   The student is receiving appropriate medical care and is no longer on campus.  Marquette and the health department are identifying those who may have come into contact with the individual and they will be offered testing for TB. Under federal law, Marquette is not allowed to disclose personal information about the individual with TB or those identified for TB testing. TB is a disease caused by bacteria. TB is spread from one person to another and is put into the air when a person with TB coughs or sneezes. People who are infected with latent TB do not feel sick, do not have any symptoms, and cannot spread TB.  But they may develop TB disease at some time in the future.   Individuals with TB can be readily cured through medical treatment and those who have latent TB but are not yet ill can take medicine so that they will never develop TB.  Additional information about TB is available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Everyone identified by the Milwaukee Health Department and Marquette will receive testing for TB.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vast majority of persons who test positive for TB exposure never go on to develop active tuberculosis.  With treatment, the risk of developing TB is lowered to below 1 percent.  In addition, a small percentage of college and university students in the United States have a positive TB skin test even in the absence of any known exposure.  The vast majority of these people do not have TB and they are not infectious to others.  A positive skin test simply indicates that their immune system has responded to the presence of TB at some point in their life.   Marquette will continue to work with the Milwaukee Health Department in the coming days and further information will be provided as warranted.  Members of the Marquette community, including students, faculty and staff as well as parents or guardians with questions about TB or the investigation can call the Student Health Service at 8-7184. Office of Public Affairs Contacts Brigid O'Brien Miller Director of University Communication Phone: (414) 288-7445 Send e-mail