An outbreak of tuberculosis in Kansas has become the largest recorded outbreak of the illness in the U.S., with nearly 70 active cases since last year.
A doctor examines the x-rays of a tuberculosis (TB) patient at a TB clinic Novmeber 27, 2002 in ... [+]
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said as of Friday there had been 67 “outbreak associated active cases” reported since 2024, with 60 of them in Wyandotte County—which encompasses Kansas City—and seven in Johnson County, which is just south of Wyandotte.
Some 79 outbreak-associated latent infections, meaning TB was found but the person is not sick, have been reported since 2024, as well, the vast majority of which were also in Wyandotte County.
Jill Bronaugh, a KDHE spokesperson, told the Topeka Capital-Journal the outbreak is "the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history, presently," citing the rapid number of cases in a short amount of time.
Health officials said the general risk to the public, including in counties surrounding Wyandotte, remains “very low.”
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Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually affects the lungs but can impact other body parts, as well. The Centers for Disease Control lists symptoms of active tuberculosis in the lungs as a bad cough lasting three or more weeks, pain in the chest and coughing up blood or phlegm. Symptoms of active TB that may be growing outside of the lungs include:
Tuberculosis germs spread through the air from person to person, meaning someone can get infected with the sickness if someone with active TB coughs, speaks or sings, according to the CDC. The germs can stay in the air for hours, and germs are more likely to spread indoors or in areas with poor air circulation. TB cannot be spread by shaking hands, sharing food or drinks or kissing, the CDC says, and people with inactive, or latent, tuberculosis cannot spread germs to other people, but it can become active without treatment.
Inactive and active tuberculosis can be treated with antibiotics. A doctor will give someone infected with TB a treatment plan outlining how much, how often and how long to take the medication. A treatment plan for inactive tuberculosis can take between three and nine months and typically includes some combination of three medicines, according to the CDC. A treatment plan for active TB can take between four and nine months and usually includes a combination of six different medications.
13 million. That’s how many people the CDC estimates live in the U.S. with inactive tuberculosis. If they don’t get treatment, about one in 10 of those people will get active TB.
Most tuberculosis cases in the U.S. are typically found in four states: California, Texas, New York and Florida. The CDC reported that in 2023, as in past years, those four states combined accounted for 50.6% of all the country’s cases.
Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history (Topeka Capital-Journal)