A second active tuberculosis case has been identified in the Chicago suburbs, this time at Joliet West High School.

School officials sent out a general notice to parents Monday that a student had been diagnosed with TB. Students and staff members who may have been in close contact with the student were sent a separate notification about contact, which also included information for free screening from Sunny Hill Tuberculosis Clinic.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that affects the lungs. It is not as easily transmitted as the flu or a cold, and requires prolonged close contact to a person with active infection.

Common symptoms of tuberculosis include persistent coughing, fever, night sweats and weight loss.

A person associated with Waukegan High School was diagnosed with active tuberculosis about a week ago.

Not everyone who becomes infected with TB becomes sick; some never develop symptoms and become latent carriers. A TB infection can also affect other organs like the kidneys, the liver, the heart, the lymph nodes, and the fluid surrounding the brain and spine, according to the Mayo Clinic.