Kansas faces the largest tuberculosis outbreak in U.S. history, raising concerns about public health and the need for immediate action.
At a Glance
- 67 active cases and 79 latent infections reported since 2024 in Kansas
- Outbreak concentrated in Wyandotte and Johnson counties
- Two deaths occurred last year
- CDC team deployed to assist with outbreak response
- Risk to surrounding counties and general public considered “very low”
Unprecedented Outbreak in Kansas
Kansas is currently grappling with an unprecedented tuberculosis outbreak, which health officials have declared the largest in U.S. history. The outbreak, first reported in January 2024, has resulted in 67 active cases and 79 latent infections, primarily concentrated in Wyandotte and Johnson counties within the greater Kansas City area.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has confirmed the severity of the situation. “The current Kansas City, Kan. Metro tuberculosis (TB) outbreak is the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history, presently (since the 1950s, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started monitoring and reporting TB cases),” KDHE stated.
Editor’s Note: The CDC said in a statement that the ongoing tuberculosis disease outbreak in Kansas is not the largest outbreak in U.S. history. There were two larger TB outbreaks in recent years.https://t.co/iNs0bEZK2l
— ABC News (@ABC) January 28, 2025
Public Health Response and Risk Assessment
In response to the outbreak, the CDC has dispatched a team to assist local health authorities in managing the situation. Despite the outbreak’s severity, health officials have emphasized that the risk to surrounding counties and the general public remains “very low.”
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a leading infectious disease killer worldwide. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, speaks, or sings. Symptoms of active TB include a persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, fever, chills, and night sweats.
Latent TB and Treatment
It’s crucial to understand the distinction between active and latent TB. Latent TB can exist without symptoms and cannot spread, but it can develop into active TB without treatment. The CDC estimates that up to 13 million people in the U.S. have latent tuberculosis.
“Kansas is facing one of the largest recorded tuberculosis outbreaks in U.S. history, according to local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Treatment regimens for TB can last from four to nine months, with specific regimens for patients with other medical conditions. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is used in countries where TB is common but is not generally recommended in the U.S. due to low infection risk and variable effectiveness.