Eleven pupils have tuberculosis

Details of the outbreak were revealed in April

Eleven children at a Birmingham school have been confirmed as having tuberculosis (TB).

It was initially thought 30 pupils at the Islamic Birchfield Independent School for Girls had TB but tests have shown the figure is lower.

Health bosses said a further 18 girls were receiving preventative treatment as a precaution but were not unwell.

Pupils at the school in Beacon Hill, Aston, were tested in February after a pupil was diagnosed with the disease.

That girl contracted TB last summer and was successfully treated but another family member later became ill.

Former pupils

Teachers at the school have been screened and are awaiting test results.

The families and close friends of the infected girls are also being invited for screening while former pupils at the school are being contacted.

A spokesperson for Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust said: "We have written again to the parents of all girls at the school to reassure them and to outline the steps we have taken to minimise the risk of the infection spreading.

"We have analysed the initial cases connected to the school and have found that they were the same type of infection and may be connected to the same source.

"Because of this, there is no reason for the general public to be concerned about TB."

The trust added that anyone who attended the school since January 2007 but had not received a letter from the trust should contact Birmingham Chest Clinic on 0121 424 1935.