Tuberculosis case diagnosed on Texas State campus
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A person at Texas State University, or TXST, was diagnosed with tuberculosis disease, according to a message shared with the campus.
The Hays County Health Department informed the university of the diagnosis Tuesday. The person was at the San Marcos campus.
'While the chance of exposure and infection is minimal, we wanted to make you aware,' the message said.
TXST wouldn't specify if the person diagnosed was a student, staff member or visitor, saying it couldn't provide more information in order to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.
TXST said the health department would notify individuals who have had close contact with the person who tested positive.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is caused by a bacterium and usually affects people's lungs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can be deadly, and people with active TB disease can experience cough, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, chills and night sweats. It spreads through the air. People can have the germs in their bodies but not show symptoms, which is called inactive TB. The disease can be deadly, but there is medicine to treat it, according to the CDC.
There were 1,242 tuberculosis cases in Texas in 2023, according to the latest data available on the Texas Department of State Health Services' website. There were three cases reported in Hays County that year.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
I thought I was a healthy teen — I constantly dismissed a sign that turned out to be a chronic disease
Gracie Cappelle should have been looking forward to her freshman year at Texas State University. Instead, she got a crash course in ulcerative colitis (UC). 'I had never heard of ulcerative colitis,' Cappelle, 19, told The Post. 'It took me a really long time to even understand what was happening within my body.' Cappelle was diagnosed with the chronic disease in the summer of 2024. She spent her freshman year eliminating dairy and fatty foods from her diet — not easy as a college student — in the hopes of managing her symptoms since there's no cure for UC. About a million Americans are believed to have UC, the most common type of inflammatory bowel disease. Experts aren't exactly sure what causes the condition, but they think it's related to abnormal immune system reactions. Inflammation and ulcers develop in the lining of the colon and rectum, often causing stomach pain, bloody diarrhea and frequent bowel movements. Crohn's disease is similar but can affect any part of the GI tract. UC is most often diagnosed in people 15 to 30 years old. Adults between 50 and 70 are also at higher risk. Cappelle didn't immediately realize that something was amiss. She occasionally noticed blood in her stool but figured it was no big deal. 'It wasn't bad at first,' Cappelle recalled. 'I looked it up a couple of times, and the only two things that would come up were internal hemorrhoids or colon cancer. And I was like, 'OK, well, I don't have colon cancer, so it's probably just internal hemorrhoids.' So I wasn't worried about it.' The bleeding eventually intensified to the point where it was happening every day — and she found herself rushing to the bathroom more often. A colonoscopy was scheduled for two weeks before she left for college. 'I literally came out of my colonoscopy, and my doctor told me that I had [UC],' Cappelle said. She needed to overhaul her diet immediately. Individual triggers vary, but UC sufferers tend to experience flare-ups with high-fat foods, spicy foods and foods rich in insoluble fiber. Alcohol, caffeinated beverages and sugary drinks are often no-nos. Before her diagnosis, Cappelle typically had yogurt for breakfast, a sandwich with Cheez-Its for lunch and ground turkey, chicken or steak with potatoes or rice for dinner — or fast food. 'I definitely didn't eat well,' she admitted. 'If I wanted [Raising] Canes or Chick-fil-A, if I wanted fast food, I was going to go get the fast food.' She first axed spicy foods, including her beloved Flamin' Hot Cheetos and hot sauce, soda and gluten. Unfortunately, her stomach pain didn't go away right away. 'I was trying to eat whole foods, but obviously that's hard, especially being a freshman in college,' Cappelle said. 'You're living in a dorm, so you really don't have a kitchen.' She came home to the greater Houston area in December, cutting dairy and alcohol from her diet and stepping up her exercise routine. She also began working with a therapist and getting infusions of Entyvio, prescription medication that targets gut inflammation. Her stomach pain and bloody stool subsided, and she plans to return to Texas State in August. 'I think it'll be easier this next year, because I will have an apartment and my own kitchen,' Cappelle said. 'It is hard because you can't necessarily eat what everybody else is eating. But, for me, personally, it's not worth it to eat like that, knowing what could happen if I do eat like that.' She's been sharing her journey on TikTok, hoping to connect with people facing the same challenges. 'The hardest part for me [is] feeling so alone,' Cappelle said. 'I really just want to put the message out there of, you're not alone in this, and you can get better, and you will get better.'
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Healthy teen reveals symptom that led to a chronic diagnosis
Gracie Cappelle should have been looking forward to her freshman year at Texas State University. Instead, she got a crash course in ulcerative colitis (UC). 'I had never heard of ulcerative colitis,' Cappelle, 19, told The Post. 'It took me a really long time to even understand what was happening within my body.' Advertisement 5 Gracie Cappelle was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 18. Summer Lange Photography Cappelle was diagnosed with the chronic disease in the summer of 2024. She spent her freshman year eliminating dairy and fatty foods from her diet — not easy as a college student — in the hopes of managing her symptoms since there's no cure for UC. About a million Americans are believed to have UC, the most common type of inflammatory bowel disease. Experts aren't exactly sure what causes the condition, but they think it's related to abnormal immune system reactions. Advertisement Inflammation and ulcers develop in the lining of the colon and rectum, often causing stomach pain, bloody diarrhea and frequent bowel movements. Crohn's disease is similar but can affect any part of the GI tract. UC is most often diagnosed in people 15 to 30 years old. Adults between 50 and 70 are also at higher risk. 5 A doctor shows a model of the colon. In ulcerative colitis, inflammation and ulcers develop in the colon and rectum. Jo Panuwat D – Advertisement Cappelle didn't immediately realize that something was amiss. She occasionally noticed blood in her stool but figured it was no big deal. 'It wasn't bad at first,' Cappelle recalled. 'I looked it up a couple of times, and the only two things that would come up were internal hemorrhoids or colon cancer. And I was like, 'OK, well, I don't have colon cancer, so it's probably just internal hemorrhoids.' So I wasn't worried about it.' The bleeding eventually intensified to the point where it was happening every day — and she found herself rushing to the bathroom more often. A colonoscopy was scheduled for two weeks before she left for college. 'I literally came out of my colonoscopy, and my doctor told me that I had [UC],' Cappelle said. Advertisement 5 Cappelle spent her freshman year eliminating dairy and fatty foods from her diet — not easy as a college student — in the hopes of managing her symptoms since there's no cure for UC. Summer Lange Photography She needed to overhaul her diet immediately. Individual triggers vary, but UC sufferers tend to experience flare-ups with high-fat foods, spicy foods and foods rich in insoluble fiber. Alcohol, caffeinated beverages and sugary drinks are often no-nos. 5 'I had never heard of ulcerative colitis,' Cappelle told The Post about getting diagnosed. Gracie Cappelle Before her diagnosis, Cappelle typically had yogurt for breakfast, a sandwich with Cheez-Its for lunch and ground turkey, chicken or steak with potatoes or rice for dinner — or fast food. 'I definitely didn't eat well,' she admitted. 'If I wanted [Raising] Canes or Chick-fil-A, if I wanted fast food, I was going to go get the fast food.' She first axed spicy foods, including her beloved Flamin' Hot Cheetos and hot sauce, soda and gluten. Advertisement Unfortunately, her stomach pain didn't go away right away. 'I was trying to eat whole foods, but obviously that's hard, especially being a freshman in college,' Cappelle said. 'You're living in a dorm, so you really don't have a kitchen.' She came home to the greater Houston area in December, cutting dairy and alcohol from her diet and stepping up her exercise routine. Advertisement She also began working with a therapist and getting infusions of Entyvio, prescription medication that targets gut inflammation. 5 Cappelle's healthcare regimen includes therapy visits and Entyvio infusions. Gracie Cappelle Her stomach pain and bloody stool subsided, and she plans to return to Texas State in August. 'I think it'll be easier this next year, because I will have an apartment and my own kitchen,' Cappelle said. Advertisement 'It is hard because you can't necessarily eat what everybody else is eating. But, for me, personally, it's not worth it to eat like that, knowing what could happen if I do eat like that.' She's been sharing her journey on TikTok, hoping to connect with people facing the same challenges. 'The hardest part for me [is] feeling so alone,' Cappelle said. 'I really just want to put the message out there of, you're not alone in this, and you can get better, and you will get better.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Texas to create response team to combat New World screwworms
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday directed two state agencies to assemble a response team to combat the New World screwworm, which poses a serious threat to Texas livestock and wildlife. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New World screwworms are a species of fly larvae that infest and feed off the flesh of warm-blooded animals. RELATED | Texas officials warn of infectious, parasitic screwworms found in Mexico In a news release, Abbott said, 'The mission for the Response Team is clear: to lead Texas' prevention and response efforts and ensure that Texas remains informed, prepared, and aligned to prevent the re-emergence of this destructive parasite.' The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) are responsible for establishing the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team. 'As a border state, Texas represents the first line of defense against the potential re-entry of this harmful pest into the United States,' Abbott wrote in a letter to TPWD and TAHC. 'Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises.' RELATED | US plans to open a fly factory in Texas as part of its fight against a flesh-eating parasite Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently announced a multi-national program to stop the spread of screwworms. The U.S. planned to invest $8.5 million in a dispersal site from Moore Air Base and $20 million in a facility in Mexico that produces sterilized screwworms. The insects will then be released by planes over Mexico to stop them from coming to the U.S. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
