GENEVA, Ohio (WJW) — Ashtabula County health officials are investigating a suspected case of tuberculosis reported in an eighth-grade student at Geneva Middle School.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection usually affecting the lungs and is spread by breathing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the world’s deadliest infectious disease, though it is preventable and treatable.

The local case was first reported to Geneva Area City Schools families on Sunday, March 17. Officials noted the case has not yet been confirmed.

Ashtabula County Health Commissioner Jay Becker in a Wednesday news release said the student is staying at home while more tests are processing.

The middle school and all other district buildings were expected to remain open at the recommendation of county and state health officials, according to the district’s Sunday letter. By that time, the building and certain school buses had been disinfected and treated with ultraviolet light.

Students who have been deemed a close contact of the student were expected to be notified “in the coming days” by county health officials.

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis — also known as TB — is caused by bacteria that most often attacks the lungs, though it may attack any part of the body, including the kidney, spine or brain, according to the CDC.

The germs are transmitted when an infected person exhales germs by coughing, speaking or singing, according to the CDC. Anyone suspected of being infected is encouraged to stay home from school or work.

It is a slow-progressing pathogen with a long incubation period, and symptoms many not show for eight to 10 weeks, according to the district’s letter.

If the lungs are infected, symptoms may include:

  • A cough lasting longer than three weeks
  • Coughing up phlegm or blood
  • Chest pain
  • Fever
  • Night sweats
  • Chills
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weakness or fatigue
  • Weight loss

Symptoms of infection in other parts of the body include:

  • Blood in urine, from infection in the kidney
  • Headache or confusion, from meningitis
  • Back pain, from a spinal infection
  • Hoarseness from an infection of the larynx, or voice box

Tuberculosis can almost always be cured by taking several different medications for a few weeks, as prescribed by a doctor, according to the CDC.