Health authorities in Val-de-Marne have detected two new cases of tuberculosis following an initial infection at an elementary school in Ivry-sur-Seine. Health officials and the municipality announced the new cases on Tuesday, Aug. 11, after launching a sanitary investigation into a first case reported in late July. That initial infection involved a person who attended the Rosalind Franklin elementary school and leisure center during their period of contagiousness, though authorities did not specify if the individual was a student or an adult.
The town hall of Ivry-sur-Seine first alerted the public on Saturday through its social media channels. It stated that the Île-de-France Regional Health Agency had informed local officials of a declared tuberculosis situation in the town. Following the alert, the tuberculosis control center at the Créteil Intercommunal Hospital Center, known as Clat 94, began reaching out to contact cases to organize diagnostic tests.
Contact Tracing and Medical Care
Initial screening results and additional details were released on Tuesday in a joint statement issued by the municipality, the regional health agency, the intercommunal hospital, and the Créteil Academy. The initial tests uncovered two people presenting low-contagious tuberculosis. Officials said Clat 94 is conducting contact tracing for these new cases, while the hospital center will contact anyone with abnormal test results to arrange medical care.
Tuberculosis is caused by the Koch's bacillus bacterium, and only individuals with the respiratory form of the illness can spread it. Transmission occurs through the air when an infected person talks or sneezes during close, prolonged contact. Health officials usually trace the start of contagiousness back to three months before a diagnosis is made.
Disease Symptoms and Health Statistics
Health officials distinguish between two types of infection: tuberculosis disease and latent tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis disease makes patients sick and potentially contagious, causing symptoms such as persistent cough, fever, weight loss, and severe fatigue. In contrast, people with latent infection carry the bacterium in a dormant state and are neither sick nor contagious.
Children under five years old and immunocompromised individuals face the highest risk of developing the illness. Although tuberculosis can be fatal if left untreated, health authorities noted that it can be treated effectively today. The BCG vaccine, which has not been mandatory since 2007, remains recommended for high-risk children, though the health agency and municipality emphasized that it does not provide 100 percent protection.
Official figures show that reported cases in Île-de-France declined from 1,769 in 2023 to 1,523 in 2024. According to the Ministry of Health, France overall remains a low-incidence country, with a reporting rate of 6.5 cases per 100,000 people.
