A yearlong tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the Kansas City, Kansas, area has surprised local health experts, although claims that it is the largest outbreak in U.S. history have been refuted by federal officials.
“We would expect to see only a handful of cases each year,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Kansas Health System. However, the unexpectedly high case count in this outbreak serves as a “stark warning,” he added.
The outbreak, which began in January 2024, has resulted in two fatalities, according to Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) spokesperson Jill Bronaugh. Despite the severity of the outbreak, state health officials emphasize that there is no immediate threat to the general public.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs and spreads through the air when an infected person talks, coughs, or sings. While highly infectious, TB only transmits when symptoms are present.
TB can manifest in two forms:
- Active TB: Characterized by a persistent cough (sometimes with bloody phlegm), fever, night sweats, weight loss, and swollen glands. This form is contagious.
- Latent TB: The bacteria remain dormant in the body without causing symptoms and do not spread to others.
Globally, about a quarter of the population carries TB bacteria, though only 5% to 10% develop symptoms.
As of January 24, 67 individuals are receiving treatment for active TB, with most cases concentrated in Wyandotte County. Additionally, 79 people have been diagnosed with latent TB.
Preliminary 2024 state data records 79 active TB cases and 213 latent cases in Wyandotte and Johnson counties. However, not all cases are linked to the outbreak, and KDHE has yet to clarify specific connections.
Despite the ongoing concerns, KDHE Deputy Secretary Ashley Goss assured lawmakers on January 21 that the situation is improving, stating, “We are trending in the right direction right now.”
Kansas health officials initially labeled the outbreak as the “largest documented outbreak in U.S. history” since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began tracking TB cases in the 1950s. However, the CDC disputed this claim, pointing to at least two larger outbreaks in recent years:
- Between 2015 and 2017, TB spread through homeless shelters in Georgia, resulting in more than 170 active cases and over 400 latent cases.
- In 2021, a nationwide TB outbreak linked to contaminated tissue used in bone transplants led to 113 infections.
TB is treated with antibiotics over several months. While a vaccine exists, it is not commonly recommended in the U.S. due to the low risk of infection and its potential to interfere with TB diagnostic testing.
TB remains a major infectious disease worldwide. In 2023, the disease claimed 1.25 million lives and infected 8 million people the highest global case count since the World Health Organization (WHO) began record-keeping.
Although TB was historically a significant health threat in the U.S., cases have been rising again. The CDC reported over 9,600 cases nationwide in 2023, marking a decade-high.
Health officials continue monitoring the Kansas outbreak, working to contain its spread and ensure proper treatment for affected individuals.
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