A student from Roosevelt High School diagnosed with active tuberculosis is the first reported case of the contagious disease in a public school in at least eight years, health department officials said.

Tuberculosis testing, as a precautionary measure, of about 160 students and staff at Roosevelt who may have come in close contact with the student will begin Monday.

"This is a rare situation in Hawai'i," Dr. Jessie Wing, chief of the DOH Tuberculosis Control Branch, said in a news release.

The state Department of Health began notifying parents Friday that their child may have been exposed to TB, said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for DOH.

A second letter was expected to be mailed yesterday to about 1,500 other students who may not have been exposed.

Health officials have scheduled TB skin tests for Monday during school hours. Parents are being urged to complete testing consent forms before the screenings.

Tuberculosis is spread through the air. It commonly affects the lungs, but also may affect other parts of the body. Symptoms of TB include prolonged coughing, weight loss, fevers, weakness and fatigue.

The sick student initially tested positive for TB in October, but confirmation test results were not available until about six weeks later, Okubo said.

"The tests found that the student was contagious and we began working with the school to identify individuals who may have been exposed," Okubo said.

The student is no longer contagious, Okubo said, but has voluntarily stayed home from school since being diagnosed and while being treated. Every student in the public school system is required to take a TB test before enrolling, Okubo said.

On rare occasions, people infected with a latent version of TB could test negative only to have the disease become active later, she said.

In 2006, Hawai'i reported 115 cases of TB, up from 112 cases in 2005, according to health department data. About 8.9 new cases are reported each year, the Department of Health said.

Informational sessions will be held today and Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. for all Roosevelt parents and guardians in the school's cafeteria.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.