A Tuberculosis Outbreak at a School - Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, 2019

What is already known about this topic? Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) continues to be the most important cause of death from a single infectious agent, and China has a high TB burden. Although the reported incidence of TB in students is lower than that in general population, TB outbreaks in schools have continuously been reported in the past years, suggesting that schools are a high-risk setting for TB transmission. What is added by this report? In total, 31 TB patients were founded in students. Epidemiological linkage among all TB cases could not be determined due to absence of genome sequencing. However, based on the analysis of screening results, the index case was probably the source of transmission. What are the implications for public health practice? The preventative measurements should be implemented in schools. Adding TB examinations into entrance examinations and strengthening health education could find TB cases early, and improving ventilation could decrease the risk of TB transmission in schools.