Westchester College Student Diagnosed With Tuberculosis: Health Department

A student at a college in Westchester County has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, the county’s health department said.

The student, who attends Monroe College’s New Rochelle campus, is currently being treated off-campus and “is expected to make a full recovery,” the health department said.

“The Westchester County Health Department, working closely with Monroe College, has identified and notified those students and faculty who were exposed, to recommend and offer free evaluation and testing,” the health department said.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease affecting the lungs and can be deadly. The most obvious signs are a bad cough lasting three weeks or longer; chest pain; coughing up blood or phlegm; and possible weakness and weight loss.

Tuberculosis can spread when a person with active tuberculosis coughs or sneezes, according to the health department.

"A long period of close contact with an infected person is usually required for tuberculosis to be transmitted," the department noted.