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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Kansas City tuberculosis outbreak is largest in US history

2025-01-29

[FoxNews] A tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas City, Kansas, has become the largest documented on record in the United States.

As of Jan. 24, 2025, there have been 67 active cases reported in Wyandotte County (60) and Johnson County (7) since January 2024, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

There have also been 79 latent, or asymptomatic, tuberculosis (TB) infections reported over the last year, including 77 in Wyandotte County and two in Johnson County.

KDHE has reportedly been working with local health departments in response to the outbreak, following guidance on proper treatment and prevention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, KDHE confirmed that the outbreak is "still ongoing, which means there could be more cases."

Two TB deaths associated with this outbreak were reported in 2024, KDHE noted.

In comparison, the CDC recorded 46 active TB cases in Kansas in 2023.

"In an effort to provide efficient and quality care to those individuals affected by the outbreak, KDHE assumed responsibility for the coordination and distribution of testing, treatment and medical consultation in Wyandotte County," the agency shared.

TB is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs, according to KDHE. It is caused by bacteria that spreads through the air when infected people cough, speak or sing.

"Kansas is not alone in its battle against TB, which kills more than a million people each year."

It is not spread by kissing, shaking hands, sharing food and drink, or touching objects, the same source stated.

Then Typhoid Mary could have gone on working as a family cook so long as she wore a simple cloth mask and wshed her hands, and need not have spent the rest of her life in isolation? That doesn’t sound right.

TB symptoms can include coughing, chest pain, coughing up blood or mucus, fatigue, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

KDHE confirmed to Fox News Digital that there is a "very low risk" of infection to the general public.

Wendy Thanassi, M.D., senior medical director of TB and Infectious diseases at QIAGEN North America, encouraged employers, doctors and community leaders to "organize testing" to stop the spread.

"One simple blood test can identify this sleeping killer before it awakes, and one course of antibiotics can stop it from infecting the people we love," she said.

A person with active TB will no longer be infectious "shortly after beginning treatment" with antibiotics, according to KDHE.

There were 9,633 cases of TB disease reported in the U.S. in 2023, according to the CDC, which is 15.6% more than the prior year.

Posted by:Skidmark

#5 Rifampin for everyone!

Posted by: EMS Artifact 2025-01-29 15:06

#4 This isn't Kansas, this is Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, Kansas City Kansas.

Wyandotte had been a hardscrabble with manufacturing, Johnson used to be affluent and conservative, but I think the kids were raised to be too good to work at an entry level job, and didn't look so hot last I was there.

Coupled with my feed getting Holy Shit Pandemic! oh yeah where? ummmmm...Kansas, going hard with Illegals.

Posted by: swksvolFF 2025-01-29 12:10

#3 Ellis Island was for screening for diseases. Just saying.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2025-01-29 07:37

#2 Would about 125,000 UNVAX'ED illegals in Kansas have anything to do with it?

With 37% coming from Honduras alone.

Even the most Liberal News source in the USA, the WaPo, has documented it.

Posted by: NN2N1 2025-01-29 06:41

#1 Tuberculosis is a third-world disease.

Posted by: Grom the Affective 2025-01-29 03:06

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