There's a growing TB outbreak in Kansas. What are the symptoms and should you be worried?

Yahoo

31-01-2025

Kansas is dealing with one of the largest outbreaks of tuberculosis recorded in a single year in the United States since the 1950s, state health officials say. The outbreak in the Kansas City area has sickened dozens and killed at least two people since it began last January.
On Monday, Jan. 27, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the tuberculosis outbreak is still ongoing and "there could be more cases" as it grows.
Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. TB is a serious infection that if left untreated can be fatal.
As of Jan. 24, at least 67 people are being treated for active TB related to the Kansas outbreak, Jill Bronaugh, communications director of the KDHE, said in an update on Jan 29. Additionally, the outbreak killed two people in 2024.
Although state health officials say the risk to the general public is low, the current outbreak in Kansas is unprecedented. The situation in Kansas, along with other recent TB trends in the U.S., has sparked some concern among experts. Here's what to know.
No, tuberculosis is not caused by a virus. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but it spread to the brain, spine, and kidneys.
Not everyone infected with the bacteria that causes TB will get sick, which is called a latent or inactive TB infection.
People with latent TB do not develop symptoms and aren't contagious, so they can't spread the infection to others. However, people with latent TB can still develop active TB at any time.
When the bacteria multiply and cause symptoms, this is called active tuberculosis disease or active TB. People with active TB can spread the infection to others.
Although it's controlled in the U.S., tuberculosis is the leading infectious disease killer worldwide. Globally, TB causes millions of illnesses and deaths every year, per the World Health Organization.
Since January 2024, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has confirmed 67 active TB cases involved in this outbreak, including 60 in Wyandotte County and seven in neighboring Johnson County. Additionally, there have been 79 latent TB cases reported in these two counties.
At least two people have died in this outbreak. The state's health department has not released any additional details to the public.
Last year, the KDHE reported 79 active TB and 213 latent TB cases, both involved in this outbreak and sporadic (non-outbreak), says Bronaugh. However, the 2024 case counts are still provisional, and will be confirmed by the CDC at the end of March, she notes.
'While this outbreak is larger than normal, the risk remains low for the general public,' says Bronaugh.
The total cause count associated with the current outbreak in the Kansas City Metro area (67) makes it 'the largest outbreak in the U.S. at this time over the span of one year since the CDC began reporting TB cases in the 1950s,' says Bronaugh.
In an earlier statement on Monday, Jan. 27, state health officials said the current outbreak was 'the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history' since the 1950s.
However, a CDC spokesperson rebutted this claim, pointing to two recent tuberculosis outbreaks in the U.S. involving a larger number of cases, NBC News previously reported. These include an outbreak in Georgia at homeless shelters from 2015 to 2017, and a nationwide outbreak linked to contaminated bone grafts in 2021.
While not the largest outbreak in U.S. history, the current outbreak in Kansas is still large enough to raise some alarm, experts say. The state usually only sees a handful of TB cases each year. In 2023, the CDC recorded 46 active TB cases in Kansas, says Bronaugh.
'It's a substantial outbreak of tuberculosis,' Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells TODAY.com.
Tuberculosis rates in the U.S. are generally very low, says Schaffner, largely thanks to vigorous state TB control programs. However, after declining steadily for 30 years, tuberculosis rates increased each year from 2020 to 2023, according to the latest CDC data.
The KDHE has not released details about the populations affected by the outbreak. 'Of course, that's intriguing and we would like to know that from a public health point of view,' says Schaffner.
The health department said it is working with the CDC to track the outbreak and prevent further spread. 'KDHE is currently managing a total of 384 individuals associated with this outbreak who are all at various different stages of TB testing, diagnostics and treatment,' says Bronaugh.
It's unclear how the Kansas TB outbreak will pan out, but cases are expected to grow. 'It is important to note that this outbreak is ongoing, therefore, cannot be compared to previous TB epidemics or outbreaks,' says Bronough.
Tuberculosis spreads from person to person through the air, when a person with active TB talks, coughs, sneezes, laughs or sings.
These germs can linger in the air for hours, especially in closed, indoor spaces, per the CDC. People become infected when they inhale the germs, which then settle in the lungs, says Schaffner.
Transmission of tuberculosis requires close, prolonged contact with someone who has active TB disease. "It's not transmitted casually by fleeting contacts,' says Schaffner, adding that it's not readily transmissible like influenza or COVID, for example.
TB germs are not spread by shaking someone's hand, kissing, sharing food or drinks, or touching toilet seats, per the CDC.
People with latent TB are not contagious and cannot spread the infection to others. However, they are still treated to prevent a recurrent active TB infection later on, which can be contagious.
According to the CDC, symptoms of active tuberculosis include:
A cough lasting at least three weeks
Chest pain
Fatigue
Coughing up sputum or blood
Fever
Weight loss
Night sweats
People with inactive or latent TB will not develop symptoms, unless they develop active TB.
'The hibernating bacteria in those individuals can recur and cause illness in that person, 10, 15, 20 years later,' says Schaffner.
If left untreated, about 5-10% of latent cases will develop into active tuberculosis disease, according to the CDC.
Tuberculosis patients, both active and inactive, are treated with antibiotics. Treatment typically involves taking multiple antibiotics every day over a period of four to nine months, per the CDC.
There is a vaccine for tuberculosis, which is not generally used in the U.S., but instead given to young children in countries where tuberculosis disease is common.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com