This is unprecedented.
Health officials are currently dealing with a tuberculosis outbreak in the Kansas City metro area, which has reportedly become the largest in U.S. history. According to Ashley Goss, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), this is the most significant outbreak Kansas has ever experienced. A KDHE spokesperson later confirmed to The Topeka Capital-Journal that it is now considered the largest documented outbreak in the U.S.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that can affect multiple organs, though it primarily targets the lungs. The disease spreads when people inhale airborne TB bacteria released by individuals with active lung infections through talking, coughing, or singing. The bacteria can remain in the air for hours, making it highly contagious in enclosed spaces, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
TB can present in two forms: latent and active. In latent TB, the bacteria reside in a person’s body without causing symptoms or spreading to others. However, if left untreated, about 10% of latent cases may develop into active TB, which manifests with symptoms such as persistent coughing, chest pain, weight loss, and coughing up blood. As of January 24, 2025, 67 active cases of TB and 79 latent infections have been reported in the Kansas City area since 2024, according to KDHE.
Statewide, Kansas recorded 109 active and 626 latent TB cases in 2024, compared to 51 active and 1,259 latent cases in 2023. Nationally, TB cases have risen each year from 2020 to 2023, following a decline in cases before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the CDC recorded 9,633 TB cases across the U.S., reflecting a 15% increase from the previous year.
Although TB cases are rising, Kansas health officials maintain that the risk to the general public is low. However, certain groups are at higher risk, including international travelers, people in communal living environments such as shelters and prisons, and those with weakened immune systems due to conditions like diabetes, HIV, or cancer.
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