Health Officials Confirm Indio High TB Case Is Isolated, Students Safe

Indio – Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Public Health confirmed that an Indio High School student tested positive for tuberculosis (TB), prompting swift precautionary steps to safeguard the campus community. Officials reported that the student, who is already receiving treatment, is expected to make a full recovery. Importantly, the student is no longer on campus, meaning there is no ongoing risk of transmission to classmates or staff.

RUHS Public Health is working closely with the Desert Sands Unified School District to identify and test individuals who may have had prolonged and close contact with the student. Anyone testing positive will be referred for further evaluation, including chest X-rays, and monitored carefully by public health professionals. Nurses from RUHS are on-site to provide testing and guidance, ensuring that families, students, and staff have access to accurate information and resources.

Barbara Cole, Director for Disease Control at RUHS Public Health, emphasized the importance of awareness. “Standard symptoms that you can see or experience would be a persistent cough that lasts more than a cold right, two to three weeks or longer, that gets progressively worse. They can also have fever, night sweats, and sometimes in advanced stages, they can be coughing up blood if the germs are in the lungs and causing damage. The only way to know for sure whether it’s TB or some other respiratory illness, is for the person to contact their healthcare provider.”

Health officials stress that this remains a single case and is not considered an outbreak. The response is part of a standard public health protocol designed to stop any further spread. By acting early, officials aim to protect not only the high school community but also families across the Coachella Valley.