Tuberculosis kills east Tyrone mother

And while the Public Health Agency (PHA) said in a statement that it cannot comment on individual cases - authorities said her children were not pulled from school, as first suspected.

Believed to be from a Polish background, it is understood the woman has now been laid to rest.

And following the tragedy, the PHA has released information to the Times on the contagious disease and what symptoms members of the public should watch out for, as untreated, TB can have devastating consequences.

A spokesperson for the PHA told the Times: “TB is not easily spread; close and prolonged contact is required for someone to even be at risk of being infected. Because of this, the greatest risk is to people who live in the same household.

“The Public Health Agency works with trust colleagues to organise TB screening for close contacts of TB cases. There is no increased health risk to the wider community.”

In 2013, 74 cases of TB were provisionally reported in Northern Ireland - this figure was down from the 87 reported cases in 2012.