While you may think that tuberculosis is a disease that has already been eradicated and only exists in video games or fiction, that is truly not the case at all. This deadly illness still exists in the world, and recently, a case was confirmed at Lane Middle School in Portland, Oregon. Thankfully, public health officials quickly identified the situation and responded with urgency. They immediately contacted individuals who may have come into contact with the infected person and could be at risk of contracting the disease. According to the officials, the individual who tested positive for tuberculosis was likely contagious between September 2024 and May 2025.
In addition to notifying those who might have been exposed, healthcare officials also plan to conduct free blood tests at the school in the coming weeks. While this is primarily a precautionary measure, officials have reassured the public that those who were exposed are unlikely to develop tuberculosis. They also emphasized that modern medicine is more than capable of treating this disease, so there is no need for widespread panic.
Health authorities reminded everyone that tuberculosis is not easy to contract; it typically requires extended close contact with an infected individual over several weeks or even months. Simply passing by someone who has TB will not cause infection. Of course, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you believe you may have been exposed or are experiencing symptoms, you are strongly encouraged to visit a hospital and get tested.
Many people who heard the news are understandably concerned. Everyone knows how dangerous tuberculosis is, and nobody wants to risk getting it. One Redditor exclaimed, “JFC, I learned about tuberculosis from books from the 1800s and early 1900s and Satine dying in Moulin Rouge. Can I exit this timeline?”
Some began to question why the United States doesn’t use TB vaccines to prevent situations like this in the first place. However, others pointed out that the vaccine isn’t particularly effective. “It’s not very effective, so its real epidemiological value is in areas with relatively high transmission, where stopping even a small amount of spread has a bigger impact,” one user explained. They added,
“It also has side effects, including a lifelong false positive for many people. I was born in Thailand, where the vaccine is commonly used, and because I always test positive, I had to take a liver-damaging anti-TB treatment for six months when I was 17 despite not having strong evidence I’d ever actually been infected.”
