Thousands exposed to deadly lung disease after student tests positive for tuberculosis | 26 March 2026 | Hundreds of high school students in Alabama may have been exposed to the world’s deadliest disease, health officials warn. Officials at Grissom High School in Huntsville, Alabama, said they were alerted on March 24 to a student testing positive for tuberculosis (TB), a respiratory condition considered the deadliest disease on the planet due to resistance to certain antibiotics and increased spread in developing countries that lack modern antibiotics. The Madison County Health Department said it is working closely with the school district to assess possible exposure and limit transmission within the school.