Rainier Beach High School confirms active tuberculosis case, 130 people possibly exposed

SEATTLE — Public Health – Seattle & King County is following up after confirming that someone associated with Rainier Beach High School in Seattle has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis.

As a precaution, Public Health is recommending that about 130 people associated with the school be evaluated for TB, based on the amount of time they were exposed to the person with TB in indoor spaces.

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The school will directly contact those who need an evaluation, which includes a medical risk assessment and a TB test. Public Health said all students, staff, and families are being informed this week, regardless of their level of exposure.

Public Health said it is working with Rainier Beach High School to define the extent of any potential exposures and is supporting the school as evaluations are conducted and guidance and information are provided to staff, students, and families.

Health officials emphasized that TB is not easy to spread.

TB is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that are passed from person to person through the air, but Public Health said it is much harder to spread than COVID-19, a cold, or flu, and typically requires repeated and prolonged exposure in a confined indoor space to become infected.

Even in households with one person who is contagious with TB, Public Health said only about one in three close household members become infected.

Public Health said the person associated with the school who has active TB disease is receiving treatment and is no longer considered contagious. Most cases of active TB are readily treatable with commonly available antibiotics, and treatment typically takes six to nine months, according to Public Health.

Officials also noted the difference between active TB disease and latent TB infection. People with latent, or dormant, TB infection cannot spread it to others and are not ill with the disease.

Public Health estimates approximately 100,000 people in King County have latent TB infection. While they are not contagious, Public Health said they could potentially develop active TB in the future and infect others.

Public Health said about five percent of those who acquire latent TB infection develop active TB within two years, and an additional five percent develop active TB over the rest of their lifetime. If anyone associated with the school is identified as having latent TB infection, Public Health said it will help connect them with treatment to kill the TB germs and prevent future TB disease. Latent TB infection can be treated in three to four months.

TB usually affects the lungs but can also affect lymph nodes, bones, joints, and other parts of the body. A person with active TB in the lungs can spread the disease by coughing or sneezing, according to Public Health.

In King County, 110 new cases of TB disease were reported in 2024, Public Health said. On average, about two cases of TB disease are diagnosed in King County each week.

Public Health said its TB Control Program works to ensure people with active TB are diagnosed and cured, and that close contacts at the highest risk are screened to prevent infections from spreading.

“The individual associated with Rainier Beach who has active TB is receiving treatment and is no longer a risk to anyone at the school. SPS is working closely with Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) to ensure students and staff have the support and information they need. PHSKC is providing on site TB testing for individuals who were identified as having close contact with the diagnosed person,” SPS Chief of Staff Bev Redmond wrote in a statement. “Our priority is to care for and support the Rainier Beach community during this time. We will continue to partner closely with PHSKC and remain committed to keeping the Rainier Beach school community informed as this process moves forward.”