TB exposure confirmed at Justin Garza High School, 169 people identified

Health officials said 169 people were identified as exposed to tuberculosis at Justin Garza High School in Fresno County, where one active case has been linked to someone at the school. County officials said 22 of those exposed tested positive for TB infection, but no additional active cases have been confirmed and there are no contagious cases on campus.

The missing detail that officials have not released is whether the person with active TB is a student or a staff member. That leaves families, employees and students waiting for a fuller picture while public-health workers continue tracing contacts and notifying the people who may have been around the case.

For parents and staff, the key distinction is that TB infection is not the same as active TB disease. Someone can test positive for infection and still not spread the illness to others, but the result does mean follow-up testing and monitoring are important. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people who have been around someone with active TB disease should contact a health care provider about testing even if they do not feel sick.

Symptoms of active TB can include a persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss, though exposure alone does not mean someone has the disease. At Justin Garza, the immediate question is which classrooms, offices, lunch periods, activities or staff areas were included in the exposure list, and how quickly those contacts were reached.

The case comes as Fresno County continues to face a heavier TB burden than many places in California. The county’s annual tuberculosis report showed 52 active TB cases in 2024, up from 39 in 2023, a 34.2% increase. State public-health data has put California’s medical and societal costs from TB at $288 million in 2024.

Fresno County public-health officials have also warned before that tuberculosis remains a serious public-health threat. The county investigated a possible TB exposure linked to California State University, Fresno and Fresno City College in September 2024, another reminder that one case can quickly turn into a broad contact-tracing effort when schools and colleges are involved.