January 28Kansas is experiencing one of the biggest TB outbreaks in the nation’s history, with two fatalities and at least 146 cases of the potentially lethal respiratory illness.
The Kansas Department of Public Health said that as of Friday, there were at least 67 active cases of tuberculosis in Kansas, 60 of which were in Wyandotte County and seven in Johnson County.
Johnson County is situated just south of and adjacent to Wyandotte County, whereas Wyandotte County include Kansas City, the county seat, and lands west of Kansas City.
The bacterium that causes tuberculosis mainly affects the lungs, though it can also affect other regions of the body, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. There are two categories for it: inactive and active.
In contrast to dormant tuberculosis, which does not spread to other people or cause illness, active tuberculosis can make people feel ill.
Although TB can spread directly from person to person, it usually spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, talks, or sings.
Shortly after beginning treatment, antibiotics can treat tuberculosis and stop the disease’s active form from spreading.
The Kansas Health Department’s director of communications, Jill Bronaugh, said Tuesday the outbreak started in 2024 and killed two people.
According to Bronaugh, as of Friday, at least 67 Kansas residents were receiving treatment for active TB, although inactive TB patients are also receiving treatment.
Five to ten percent of dormant TB cases may progress to active TB if they are not treated.
Although some TB cases are anticipated annually, the current outbreak has considerably outstripped typical levels, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, head of prevention and control at the University of Kansas Health System.
During the present outbreak, most people who received a TB diagnosis were not very sick, although some experienced severe symptoms.
The outbreak is the biggest since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started keeping track of infections in the 1950s, according to the Kansas Health Department.
This is untrue, according to the CDC, which cites a TB outbreak in homeless shelters in Georgia that, between 2015 and 2017, infected more than 400 people with dormant TB and more than 170 people with active TB.
More recently, in 2021, 113 individuals nationwide were found to have active TB after being exposed to a bone transplant product that infected them after surgery.
The World Health Organization declared in October that over 8 million people would receive a TB diagnosis globally in 2023.
Since COVID-19 was the deadliest disease during the worldwide pandemic, the disease has killed 1.25 million people, making it the deadliest in the world.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.