Understanding Tuberculosis: Disease Discovered in Individual at Waukegan High School in Chicago Region by Lake County Health Department

CHICAGO (WLS) — A case of tuberculosis was reported in a north suburban high school.

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The Lake County Health department said a person was recently diagnosed with active tuberculosis, also known as TB.

The person was at the Waukegan High School campus, officials said.

Those who might have been exposed have been notified by officials.

A spokesperson for Waukegan High School said they were aware of the diagnosis.

The school will collaborate with the Health Department to host a virtual information session for Waukegan High School parents, staff, and students on Tuesday night.

TB is a disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the CDC. It is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, the federal health agency says.

TB is spread in the air from one person to another. When a person with TB coughs, speaks or sings, germs are expelled into the air — where they can linger for several hours — before another person breathes in the air and becomes infected.

Signs and symptoms include a cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, coughing up blood or phlegm, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, chills and night sweats, according to the CDC.

Some people become infected with TB germs that live in the body for years without causing illness. This is known as inactive TB or latent TB.

ABC News contributed to this report.