(May 7, 2008)

KINGSVILLE--At Texas A & M- Kingsville, officials said 1,200 people have been tested for tubercolosis. This after health professionals reported an active TB case on the campus. Fortunately, campus officials said, so far, no one else has tested positive for the illness.

Active tubercolosis means it's contagious and may be transmitted through the air. Because of that, several students and staff have come forward to get tested.

Laura Arredondo, a Texas A & M-Kingsville student, showed us what looked like a pimple on her arm, but it's a tubercolosis skin test and she tested negative for it.

"I don't know the person," said Arredondo. "I may have a class with. I am not sure who the person is so I just want to be on the safe side."

Campus officials said late last week a person tested positive for worst type of TB, which is contagious.

"This person does have active tubercolosis and this person is currently hospitalized," said Jill Scoggins, who works as the Texas A & M-Kingsville Public Information Officer. 

Students believe it happened at the on campus dorms, but officials can't confirm that due to privacy laws. All they'll said is they talked to those who may have had close contact with the person. 

"Those 300 people are strongly urged to be tested as a precautionary measure to make sure they're ok," Scoggins said. 

The campus also offered a free TB skin test at the Campus Health Clinic for others worried about it. Already, more than a thousand people have come.

"I just decided it's better to be safe than sorry," said Roxanne Vela, a Texas A & M-KIngsville student. "I know tb is a big problem, especially around the border so you never know."

If anybody from the campus community here at Texas A &M-Kingsville learns they have tubercolosis after coming out of this building, campus officials tell us there is medical treatment for TB.

"It's sometimes will take three months, six months, even up to a year to treat the disease and cure it, but it can be treated," Scoggins said. 

If you have any questions, go to the campus website at www.tamuk.edu.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com