Health officials confirms that only 67 cases recorded with TB since the first of January 2025, the numbers mark as the largest in history in the U.S
Health officials in Kansas where the TB outbreak have reported a tuberculosis outbreak in the northeastern state in USA.
So far, officials have reported 60 active cases in Wyandotte County and 7 active cases in Johnson County, according to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Since 2024, there have been 2 latent cases in Johnson County and 77 cases in Wyandotte County, which sits at the Missouri border.
The numbers mark the largest tuberculosis outbreak in recorded history in the U.S., according to the USA TODAY network.
The outbreak poses “very low risk to the general public, including the surrounding counties,” officials said in the announcement. Local health departments are working with patients to identify close contacts and conduct free testing, regardless of insurance status.
Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two TB-related conditions exist: inactive TB and active TB.
Kansas health officials said patients who test positive will be screened to see if they have active TB disease or latent TB infection. Doctors can then choose the best treatment for each patient, health officials said.
The symptoms of tuberculosis?
People who have TB germs in their bodies but do not get sick have inactive TB, or latent TB infection. They have no symptoms and cannot spread TB to others. Without treatment, people with inactive TB can develop active TB disease and become sick.
TB is spread through the air from one person to another. TB germs are put into the air when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks or sings, the CDC said.
The germs can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. The germs are more likely to spread in indoor areas or places with poor air circulation
