The County’s Tuberculosis Program is notifying Southwestern Community College students and staff who were potentially exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
The tuberculosis (TB) exposure happened between Oct. 27 and Dec. 14, 2025, at Southwestern Community College’s main campus on Otay Lakes Road in Chula Vista.
Tuberculosis can be difficult to diagnose. People may be sick for months before receiving a diagnosis, which can lengthen exposure periods.
The potential exposures at Southwestern Community College involve multidrug resistant-TB, a type of infection that does not respond to standard medications. This case is not related to a different multidrug resistant TB case at a Miramar church reported last month.
What to Do
Southwestern Community College students and staff who believe they may have been exposed to TB based on this information, or healthcare providers caring for those with known exposures, should call the County Tuberculosis Control Program at (619) 692-8621 for guidance. This is especially important if they test positive for TB following the exposure.
Standard medications used to treat latent TB are not effective when treating multidrug resistant TB. People infected with this type of TB will receive alternate treatment.
Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person when someone who is sick with the illness coughs, speaks, sings or breathes.
Those with symptoms or weakened immune systems should seek medical care promptly to rule out active disease and discuss treatment.
“Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis can be more complicated and lengthier to treat since it is a form of infection that does not respond to the usual medicines,” said Sayone Thihalolipavan, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “The good news is that TB, including MDR-TB, is treatable and curable with the right medication. If you believe you may have been exposed, contact the County Tuberculosis Department right away. Early screening and treatment is important to help protect your health and the health of our community.”
Active TB disease can be prevented through the diagnosis and treatment of a latent TB infection. People who test positive without symptoms should get a chest x-ray to rule out an active case and talk to a medical provider as they most likely have latent TB infection.
People with latent TB are not yet sick and can keep themselves from getting the disease in the future by taking a short course of medication.
TB in San Diego
Of the estimated 175,000 people in San Diego County who have latent TB, between 5 and 10 percent will develop active TB disease without treatment.
Since 2020, the number of people diagnosed with active TB disease in San Diego County has been steadily rising. In 2020, there were 193 TB cases, growing to 201 in 2021, 208 in 2022, 242 in 2023, 247 in 2024, and 265 in 2025.
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is less common, with three people diagnosed with MDR-TB in San Diego County in 2024 and two diagnosed in 2025.
