GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — An alarming diagnosis was found at a Guilford County School.
The Guilford County Department of Human Health Services said someone at Ragsdale High School tested positive for tuberculosis Friday.
Parents at Ragsdale High were shocked to find out about the confirmed case.
Guilford County Schools and the county's health department are working to identify those who were exposed and offering free testing this week at the school.
"I wasn't expecting a text like that in 2023 about TB so it through me for a loop," parent Rontez Von said.
Christy Rodriguez was pretty worked up while sitting at the parent pick-up line outside Ragsdale High Monday afternoon.
"I'm like why isn't school closing down right now knowing someone was there that had TB," Rodriguez said. "What about kids who are not been vaccinated at all or kids with health issues worse than my son."
Rodriguez said her son has underlying health conditions. She found out Monday her son was one of the students exposed to tuberculosis.
The Health Department said most students and staff don't need to get tested, but students like Christy's son, Christian Rodriguez will need to get examined.
"I called his pediatrician right away and they're adamant to get him in," Christy Rodriguez said. "I'm going to keep him home the next two days."
Christian Rodriguez said he'd like to see the district deep clean the school.
"Everyone's wearing mask today. There's a lot of students coughing," Christian Rodriquez said. "It was a lot of worries for me today."
The health department was made aware Friday and worked with GCS to let staff, students and parents like Rontez Von know they're investigating the case.
"I got a long detailed message. They told me everything that was going on," Von said. "They did the best they could when they knew about it."
TB is a respiratory disease that spreads like the cold or flu. Tammy Koonce with the county health department said with this specific case no one is at immediate risk of developing health issues.
"It's hard to get TB unless you share a breathing space with someone infected for a long time," Koonce said. "For an ongoing basis its usually transmitted in families. It's not a casual acquaintance."
Koonce said in severe cases, TB can travel to other parts of the body besides the lungs, but It is curable with medication.
"Not too many people in the U.S. have TB. It's mainly kept under control. Cases are identified early a lot of times," Koonce said. "People are usually treated and cured."
TB symptoms include coughing up blood, tiredness, weight loss, and night sweats.
The county health department said any Ragsdale student who tests positive will get treated for free.