Multnomah County public health officials have confirmed one case of active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) at Lane Middle School in Southeast Portland.

Tuberculosis is a bacteria that spreads through close face-to-face contact with an infectious individual. It is curable with medication. Because the infection progresses slowly, it’s important to be treated to prevent serious illness.

The individual was recently diagnosed with TB but may have been contagious between Sept. 3, 2024 to May 1, 2025 and may have exposed others to TB. Potentially exposed individuals have been contacted by the Health Department via an emailed letter. The Health Department has also created an FAQ page here.

Families or staff with questions have been advised to call the Multnomah County Health Department Tuberculosis Clinic at 503-988-3406. The Health Department will be providing free blood tests to the school community in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you may also see your personal healthcare provider for TB testing and/or treatment. Please call the Multnomah County Health Department Tuberculosis Clinic at 503-988-3406 if you plan to do a TB test with your personal healthcare provider.

Health officials are optimistic that community spread will not occur from this case, and there is little risk to the general public at this time. Currently, the Health Department is not aware of any cases connected to this patient.

“Fortunately, most people who have had casual contact with a person diagnosed with tuberculosis will not become infected,” said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Richard Bruno. “And most people who become infected will never become ill with tuberculosis, especially with current medication regimens. While tuberculosis can be spread in school settings, we expect that anyone infected would not yet be ill and could be effectively treated with medication.”

Public health officials are working closely with the individual and school officials to ensure the individual receives appropriate care and to reduce any potential health risks to both the family and the community.

How tuberculosis spreads and symptoms:

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. It can be spread when someone who is ill with untreated TB coughs. People who breathe the germs into their lungs can become infected. Most people who have had contact with a TB patient will not become infected. In addition, most people who become infected will never become ill with TB disease.

The Multnomah County Health Department works with up to 30 cases of TB a year.

People who are infected can take medication to reduce the already low chance of becoming ill. If TB disease develops, it usually takes months to years. TB disease can be effectively treated, and almost all patients are cured.

TB is hard to catch. People usually get infected as a result of close face-to-face contact for several hours with someone who has the disease — typically daily contact over a period of weeks or months. People are not likely to get TB from someone walking in the hallway or from a brief encounter. TB is not spread by sharing articles of clothing, dishes or drinking glasses. TB does not live on surfaces and is not spread through contact like shaking hands.

Common symptoms of active TB disease include cough, pain in the chest, and coughing up blood or phlegm. People with inactive TB, also called latent TB infection, do not have symptoms of TB disease and cannot spread TB to others.

Learn more about tuberculosis at www.cdc.gov/tb.

Source: Multnomah County Health

Cort Webber