Madison City Schools officials are responding to a tuberculosis case that was identified at Bob Jones High School on Friday.

School will continue as normal, but officials told AL.com on Tuesday that they are following public health protocol to ensure the safety of students and staff. The school recently sent letters home to all potential contacts of the infected person with instructions on how to test for the disease.

“Immediately upon learning of this, conversations began with the Alabama Department of Public Health, BJHS administrators and Central Office admins on a response that ensures the health and well being of students and staff,” officials wrote in a notice. “The students and staff are no longer at risk of exposure to the identified case.”

Officials did not identify or give any more information about who was infected.

District officials did not say whether any additional cases have been confirmed. It also is unclear how many students or staff members may have been exposed.

Tuberculosis is a disease that is caused by airborne germs. It usually impacts the lungs but may also affect other areas of the body.

Not everyone infected with TB germs becomes sick, but the disease can become fatal if left untreated. If a person receives proper treatment, they should become well. Vaccines are not typically recommended for US residents.

Just 65 cases of tuberculosis were identified in Alabama in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Officials are asking parents and guardians to direct any questions to the district nurse, Becky Tucker, at [email protected] or to Carl Evans, the tuberculosis manager at the Madison County Health Department, at 256-533-8708.

Additional information can be found at www.cdc.gov/tb/.