This is an unusual outbreak, and clearly we need to get to the bottom of it

Dr Philip Monk Public health consultant

Two teachers at the school thought to have TB have now been found to be clear of the disease.

The screening of about 500 older Crown Hills pupils is due to begin on Wednesday.

Doctors decided to bring forward plans to screen all 15- and 16-year-old students after one 15-year-old showed signs of the disease.

Dr Philip Monk, a public health consultant with Leicester Health Authority, said screening of all pupils at Crown Hills would soon be complete.

He said: "We can be confident that there is not an on-going risk, and students should resume their education as soon as the Easter holidays end."

Dr Monk said all staff at the school had also been invited for tests. Screening would also be offered to family and friends of those who had been diagnosed with the disease.

200 cases each year

Dr Monk said there were around 200 cases of TB in Leicestershire each year.

He said a six-year-old pupil of Oakham School had died of the disease in October 2000. However, pupils at that school were not at risk.

The three establishments where screening will take place are Wyvern School, Hamilton Community College and Loughborough College.

All students will be screened at Wyvern School and Hamilton Community College.

However, only selected screening will take place at Loughborough College, where the students are older, and some are only part-time.

Learn lessons

Dr Monk said that under usual circumstances only limited screening would take place at schools were one case of TB had been diagnosed.

But he said the screening programme would be extended in light of the outbreak at Crown Hills.

He said mass screening was unnecessary, and would be unlikely to uncover significant numbers of cases.

He said: "This is an unusual outbreak, and clearly we need to get to the bottom of it, and then see what lessons there are.

"But at the present moment it does not appear that this is a situation that needs to be of concern to anywhere else in the country."