Parents in Simsbury received an e-mail on Tuesday informing them a case of typhoid fever had been diagnosed at the Squadron Line Elementary School.
A physician confirmed the case of typhoid last Friday. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet confirmed the diagnosis, according to the e-mail.
The person who contracted typhoid fever is a student who recently traveled overseas, Simsbury First Selectman Mary Glassman said.
School officials said they did not believe the student was contagious and is being treated with antibiotics.
"The individual is making a good recovery, and to the best of our knowledge, no other members of your school community have shown symptoms of the disease," the letter from Principal Kerry Jones and Director of Health Sue Beardsley said.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria, according to the CDC. It is very rare, with about 400 cases in the United States each year. It is usually spread by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The disease is still common in developing countries and about 75 percent of the U.S. cases are acquired while traveling internationally, according to the CDC. It is unclear if the infected person in Simsbury got the disease overseas.
Symptoms include a sustained fever as high as 104 degrees, weakness, stomach pains, headache and some patients might exhibit a rash, according to the CDC. It can usually be treated with antibiotics.
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"We ask that you please review with your child good sanitary precautions that would include good hand washing and no sharing of water bottles/food," the letter to parents said. "We will continue to follow our thorough building cleaning procedures."
Precautions the school is making include cleaning the building and watching absentee lists. No other students have reported symptoms.
