According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials, Kansas is currently dealing with one of the largest TB outbreaks ever recorded in the United States.
According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as of January 24, there were 67 confirmed cases of active tuberculosis, 60 of which were in Wyandotte County and seven of which were in Johnson County.
Additionally, there are 79 confirmed cases of latent TB, two of which are in Johnson County and 77 of which are in Wyandotte County. A part of Kansas City is in Wyandotte County, and Johnson County is located immediately southwest of it.
According to KDHE, cases linked to the pandemic were first documented in January 2024. Two deaths have been connected to the outbreak thus far, both of which happened within the past 12 months.
According to a CDC representative who talked to ABC News, this outbreak is one of the biggest in U.S. history, but not the biggest.
The CDC, which has sent a team to help with the current outbreak, said the incidents involving contaminated bone transplant surgery in 2021 and at a homeless shelter in 2015 were more serious.
Kansas health officials have determined that the risk to the public and inhabitants of nearby counties is “very low,” and they are following the CDC’s recommendations.
Some people contract TB germs, which can remain in their bodies for years without presenting any symptoms. This is referred to as latent or dormant TB.
According to the CDC, people with inactive TB do not have symptoms, feel sick, or have the ability to transmit germs to others. However, individuals with inactive TB may become active TB if they do not receive therapy.
According to CDC data, there were around 8,700 TB cases in the United States last year. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, rates rose, with 2023 reaching pre-pandemic levels, despite the fact that TB cases had been gradually decreasing since the mid-1990s.
Depending on the treatment plan, the duration of various TB disease treatment regimens might range from four months to nine months. Patients with co-existing medical disorders, such diabetes or HIV, may be given special regimens to follow.
The CDC notes that although a vaccine called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is frequently administered to children in nations where tuberculosis is prevalent, it is generally not advised in the United States because of the low risk of bacterial infection, the varying efficacy of the vaccine in adults, and the possibility of the vaccine interfering with TB tests. Where the BCG vaccine was administered, the patient frequently develops a scar.