Kansas Faces Largest Recorded Tuberculosis Outbreak in US History
As of January 24, there have been 67 confirmed cases of active tuberculosis (TB) in Kansas, including 60 in Wyandotte County and seven in Johnson County. Additionally, there are 79 confirmed latent TB cases, including 77 in Wyandotte County and two in Johnson County. The outbreak is among the largest in US history, but not the largest.
The outbreak was first reported in January 2024, and so far, there have been two deaths related to the outbreak, both of which occurred last year. The risk to people living in surrounding counties and to the general public is “very low,” and the department is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
TB is a disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers and is spread in the air from one person to another. 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.
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 US due to the low risk of infection with the bacteria and variable vaccine effectiveness among adults.
