Several children tested positive for tuberculosis at a primary school in the Flemish Brabant, as first reported by the Nieuwsblad, and later confirmed by the Flemish Public Health Agency.
The cases were detected after a student from a sixth-grade class (11-12 year-olds) in the 'GO! Primary school Hof Pepijn' in Landen tested positive for the disease. According to Nieuwsblad, the child was hospitalised but has since been discharged.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It mostly affects the lungs and is mainly spread through the air between people. Not everyone who is infected develops the disease. Only those with symptoms of tuberculosis are considered contagious.
While the disease can be treated with antibiotics, it remains one of the world's leading causes of death from a single infectious agent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Crisis unit convened
So far, a total of 19 students in the sixth-grade class and one teacher have tested positive for the TB bacteria. However, they currently have no symptoms and are not deemed contagious, a spokesperson for the Flemish Healthcare Department told The Brussels Times.
"There is no cause for immediate concern at the moment. Closing the school is not an option at this stage. We are in the last week of the school year, with lots of outdoor activities planned," Bart Diliën, a communication advisor at the primary school, told Nieuwsblad on Tuesday.
In response to the TB cases, the mayor of Landen convened a crisis unit at the town hall. The situation is currently being monitored by local authorities in Landen, the Flemish health department, the affected school, and local general practitioners (GPs).
The regional health department is identifying other potential cases connected to the outbreak. Another group of schoolchildren is set to be tested later this week. The health department expects the results of the medical tests next week.
Local residents and parents concerned about the situation are advised by the municipality to contact their GP for more information.
Increasingly resistant
In Belgium, while the number of cases of TB is relatively low, it remains a significant public health issue which requires continuous vigilance, according to the Belgian health institute, Sciensano.
TB is typically treated with a combination of several antibiotics, with treatment plans that tend to last between six to 24 months. In 2023, 7.4% of TB patients in Belgium died before the end of the treatment, according to the health instititute.
Sciensano noted that the bacteria behind TB is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, which complicates treatment options and increases the risk of mortality.
In Belgium, a vaccine is available for some risk groups to prevent some forms of TB. However, the efficacy of the vaccine is limited to TB disease located outside the lungs (extra-pulmonary TB).
Symptoms of TB in the lungs include coughing, chest pain, weight loss, night sweats and fever.
The people at higher risk of developing the disease include people with HIV, children under 5 years old, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, people suffering from malnutrition, and those who are heavy alcohol, drug or tobacco users.
