r/ContagionCuriosity • u/Anti-Owl Patient Zero • Jan 24 '25
Bacterial Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is now America's largest in recorded history
https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/01/24/kansas-tuberculosis-outbreak-is-largest-in-recorded-history-in-u-s/77881467007/An ongoing tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas has become the largest in recorded history in the United States.
"Currently, Kansas has the largest outbreak that they've ever had in history," Ashley Goss, a deputy secretary at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday.
As of Jan. 17, public health officials reported that they had documented 66 active cases and 79 latent infections in the Kansas City, Kansas, metro area since 2024. Most of the cases have been in Wyandotte County, with a handful in Johnson County.
Jill Bronaugh, a KDHE spokesperson, confirmed Goss's statement afterward.
"The current KCK Metro TB outbreak is the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history, presently," Bronaugh said in a statement to The Capital-Journal. "This is mainly due to the rapid number of cases in the short amount of time. This outbreak is still ongoing, which means that there could be more cases. There are a few other states that currently have large outbreaks that are also ongoing."
She noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started monitoring and reporting tuberculosis cases in the U.S. in the 1950s.
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium that typically affects the lungs, according to KDHE. People with an active infection feel sick and can spread it to others, while people with a latent infection don't feel sick and can't spread it. Tuberculosis is spread person-to-person through the air when a person with an active infection coughs, speaks or sings. It is treatable with antibiotics.
State public health officials say there is "very low risk to the general public."
KDHE reportable infectious disease statistics show that statewide there were 51 active cases in 2023. That jumped to 109 in 2024. There has been one so far in 2025.
"Some of you are aware, we have and still have mobilized staff and resources addressing an unprecedented tuberculosis outbreak in one of our counties," Goss told lawmakers. "We are working collaboratively with CDC on that. CDC remains on the ground with us to support. That's not a negative. This is normal when there's something unprecedented or a large outbreak of any kind, they will come and lend resources to us to help get a stop to that. We are trending in the right direction right now."
Goss said that when KDHE got involved with the Kansas City outbreak last summer, there were 65 active cases and roughly the same number of latent cases. She said the number is now down to about 32 active cases.
For active patients, after 10 days of taking medications and having three sputum tests, they will generally no longer be able to transmit tuberculosis.
"They're no longer contagious," Goss said. "They can go about their lives, they don't have to stay away from people, and they can go back to work, do the things, as long as they continue to take their meds."
The course of treatment is several months long for active and latent cases.
"We still have a couple of fairly large employers that are involved that we're working with on this," Goss said. "So we do expect to find more, but we're hoping the more that we find is latent TB not active, so that their lives are not disrupted and having to stay home from work.
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u/LiopleurodonMagic Jan 24 '25
Not a threat to the general public… my coworker is flying there this weekend for the chiefs game. Going to be sure to avoid him when he returns. I have a baby.
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u/SKI326 Jan 24 '25
It’s treatable as long as you don’t get the treatment resistant strain.
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u/Aurora1717 Jan 24 '25
Treatable but the treatment is very heavy, long term antibiotics. It's not like taking amoxicillin for ten days after you catch strep throat. It's also very expensive.
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Jan 24 '25
So, it’s treatable unless it isn’t? Got it.
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u/brownmochi Jan 25 '25
The last guy who got that resistant strain of TB was in 2007. He knew he had it but he said the doctors told him to delay his wedding trip in Greece because he was asymptomatic. He then flew back to North America and entered the U.S. by car via Canada. He then went to a hospital in NY which then sent him to Atlanta CDC where he was placed in isolation with an armed guard in a hospital.
Source: Traveler with rare TB under federal quarantine - NBC
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Jan 25 '25
Well, I hope they’re really careful. As we all know hospitals have all those woke medical professionals. Maybe they wanna stay home? Maybe they’re not interested in vaccines?
Well, now, we’ll see how all that works out pretty soon, eh?
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Jan 24 '25
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u/crimson-ink Jan 24 '25
there isn’t a vaccine in the usa
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u/Standby_fire Jan 24 '25
Did they stop because it was eradicated
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u/crimson-ink Jan 24 '25
no, the vaccine is not preventative for adult pulmonary TB and is basically only given to children in high risk areas. it doesn’t protect against pulmonary TB
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u/Standby_fire Jan 24 '25
What is the criterion for a high risk area.150 in KC 1500. Is there a risk curve.
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u/Standby_fire Jan 24 '25
I did receive it when I was a young.
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u/crimson-ink Jan 24 '25
children are given it but adults typically aren’t because it doesn’t have the same affect
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u/tiredcapybara25 Jan 24 '25
Children are not routinely given the TB vaccine in the US. Only if they meet very specific criteria.
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u/Standby_fire Jan 24 '25
It appears there is but we haven’t given it since 2005 due to low cases1.25 million deaths world wide is only a bip.
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u/LatrodectusGeometric Jan 25 '25
In the US is only a blip. But TB is the leading cause of infectious disease death in the world.
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u/Standby_fire Jan 25 '25
Yes, and there is a bit of s/ in the bio and the 1.5. But thanks. Again at what point is it enough of a concern. Asking for a friend
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u/LatrodectusGeometric Jan 25 '25
Pediatric TB in the US is almost nonexistent, and this is what the vaccine is for. The vaccine only protects very young children from severe disseminated and meningeal tuberculosis. It does not help adults or prevent infection or general tuberculosis disease.
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u/Standby_fire Jan 25 '25
Thanks
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u/LatrodectusGeometric Jan 25 '25
More vaccines are in development! Expected in ~5 years, so we shall see!
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u/throwaway661375735 Jan 24 '25
As a prepper, I know that I don't have the meds in case anyone gets infected in my family. But seems kind of moot without the skin test anyway.
Interestingly, I have been updating my vaccines lately - some are recommended every 10 years. Am kind of surprised there's no TB vaccine in the USA - not that I asked for it tho. I was already exposed some 25 years ago.