Kansas City is currently facing the largest documented tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the United States. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), there are 67 active TB cases and 79 latent cases,

Tuberculosis spreads through germs released when a person with TB in their lungs coughs, speaks or sings. These bacteria can stay in the air for prolonged periods of time and are more likely to spread to other people indoors and in poorly-ventilated spaces.

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer A tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the Kansas City area has gained national attention this week, with headlines claiming it’s the “largest outbreak in U.S. history” since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started recording cases in the 1950s.

There is a vaccine aimed at preventing TB called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but it’s not commonly used in the U.S., according to the CDC. However, many people born outside the U.S. have gotten the vaccine.

The state has seen tuberculosis cases double between 2023 and 2024, with the CDC offering support on the ground.

Stay informed about the ongoing tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas City. Learn about the symptoms, confirmed cases, and precautions to take.

More than 60 people were being treated in the Kansas City area as of Friday, according to the state health department.

An outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City area has grown into one of the largest ever recorded in the United States, with dozens of active cases of the infectious disease reported, according to health officials.

The bacterial disease also known as TB is a respiratory infection normally spread through coughing and sneezing.

CDC surveillance information is limited in that it only reflects TB cases as of the end of 2023, when 9,633 cases were reported in the U.S.

Georgia public health officials said health-care providers are required to report cases of tuberculosis, which is the focus of an outbreak.