Kansas faces one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in US history
So far, there have been 67 confirmed cases of active TB related to the outbreak.
Tuberculosis outbreak latest: what you need to knowDr. Syra Madad, an epidemiologist and chief biopreparedness officer at NYC Heath and Hospitals, explains symptoms and how the bacterial infection spreads.Xia Yuan/Getty Images
Kansas is facing one of the largest recorded tuberculosis outbreaks in U.S. history, according to local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Jan. 24, there have been 67 confirmed cases of active TB including 60 in Wyandotte County and seven in Johnson County, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Additionally, there are 79 confirmed latent TB cases, including 77 in Wyandotte County and two in Johnson County. Wyandotte County contains part of Kansas City and Johnson County is just southwest of Kansas City.
Cases linked to the outbreak were first reported in January 2024, according to KDHE. So far, there have been two deaths related to the outbreak, both of which occurred last year.
In a statement to ABC News, a CDC spokesperson said the outbreak is among the largest in U.S. history, but not the largest.
Light micrograph of multinucleated giant cells in tuberculize lymph nodes.Xia Yuan/Getty Images
The outbreaks in 2015 in a homeless shelter and 2021 related to contaminated bone graft surgery were larger, according to the CDC, which has dispatched a team to help with the ongoing outbreak.
Health officials in Kansas say the risk to people living in surrounding counties and to the general public is "very low," and that the department is following guidance from the CDC.
TB is a disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the CDC. It is one of the world's leading infectious disease killers, the federal health agency says.
TB is spread in the air from one person to another. When a person with TB coughs, speaks or sings, germs are expelled into the air -- where they can linger for several hours -- before another person breathes in the air and becomes infected.
Signs and symptoms include a cough that lasts for three weeks or longer, coughing up blood or phlegm, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, chills and night sweats, according to the CDC.
Some people become infected with TB germs that live in the body for years without causing illness. This is known as inactive TB or latent TB.
People with inactive TB do not feel ill, do not have symptoms and cannot spread germs to other people, the CDC says. However, without receiving treatment, people with inactive TB can develop active TB.
Last year, the U.S. saw more than 8,700 cases of TB, according to CDC data. Although TB cases have been steadily declining since the mid 1990s, rates increased in 2021, 2022 and 2023, with 2023 matching pre-pandemic levels.
There are several treatment regimens for TB disease that may last anywhere from four months to nine months depending on the course of treatment. Health care providers may consider specific regimens for patients with co-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or HIV.
A vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is commonly given to children in countries where TB is common, although it is generally not recommended in the U.S. due to the low risk of infection with the bacteria, variable vaccine effectiveness among adults, and the vaccine's potential interference with TB tests, the CDC notes. The BCG vaccine often leaves a scar where the recipient was given the shot.