San Diego County health officials are in the middle of a tightly focused tuberculosis investigation at Southwestern College, after confirming that some students and staff may have been exposed to a case of multidrug-resistant TB.
County public health teams began reaching out today to people they believed had close, prolonged indoor contact with the infected individual. Officials stress that this is a targeted notification, not a blanket alert for the entire campus.
In a post on the County's Tuberculosis Program website, officials said they are notifying Southwestern Community College students and staff who may have been exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The focus is on people who shared frequent or extended indoor space with the case, who will be offered testing and follow-up care.
The county has not publicly identified a specific classroom or building, and Southwestern College is working alongside investigators as they sort through who needs to be contacted. The idea is to zero in on those most at risk, rather than spark panic across the whole campus.
Testing and next steps
The County's Tuberculosis Control Program says identified contacts will be offered TB testing, symptom checks, chest X-rays, and, when appropriate, preventive treatment to lower the chance that infection turns into active disease.
Officials note that a TB test can take 8 to 10 weeks to turn positive after exposure, so some people may need follow-up testing even if their first result is negative. Anyone who develops symptoms is urged to get evaluated quickly by public health clinicians.
For details on evaluation, testing timelines, and reporting, the county points providers and schools to guidance from San Diego County Public Health Services.
What multidrug-resistant TB means
Multidrug-resistant TB, often shortened to MDR TB, is caused by tuberculosis bacteria that do not respond to at least isoniazid and rifampin, the two major first-line TB medications. That resistance makes treatment longer and more complicated than standard TB care.
In California, MDR TB has made up roughly 1 to 2 percent of reported TB cases in recent years. That keeps it relatively uncommon, but each case is harder to manage and requires close coordination between public health and medical providers.
State and federal TB programs advise that MDR cases be handled with expert consultation and individualized care plans for both patients and close contacts. More information is available through the California Department of Public Health.
How the college is responding
Southwestern College's Health Services office is working with county investigators and operates on-campus TB screening for enrolled students and employees. The campus posts a schedule for TB skin tests and risk assessments at its Chula Vista student health office.
Anyone who receives a call, email, or letter from public health is urged to follow the testing and evaluation instructions provided. Students and staff who have not been contacted but are worried can check the college's health services page for current TB testing hours and contact information through Southwestern College Health Services.
Who should be concerned
County officials emphasize that TB is usually spread through sustained close contact, not quick hallway encounters. Transmission is more likely when someone with active TB in the lungs is coughing, talking, or singing in the same indoor air for extended periods.
Symptoms that deserve attention include a cough that lingers for more than a few weeks, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss. Anyone who notices those signs, or who is contacted directly by the county, should seek evaluation and testing.
For broader information on TB transmission, testing, and prevention, the county points residents to resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and encourages people with specific concerns to contact the County Tuberculosis Control Program.
Local context
This is not the first classroom-related TB investigation in the region this year. County teams have already worked through similar contact tracing at a local high school, where testing and preventive treatment were also focused on those with prolonged indoor exposure rather than every student on campus.
Health officials say they will continue to update the public if additional exposure sites related to the Southwestern College case are identified, and will contact affected people directly as the investigation unfolds.
