Tuberculosis, a deadly disease that has claimed the lives of over a billion people in logged history, has infected over 67 people living in Kansas actively as of January 24th. The 67 active cases are mainly in Wyandotte County and Johnson County, with the majority being in Wyandotte.

According to ABC News writers Mary Kekatos and Youri Benadjaoud, “Cases linked to the outbreak were first reported in January 2024, according to KDHE. So far, there have been two deaths related to the outbreak, both of which occurred last year. In a statement to ABC News, a CDC spokesperson said the outbreak is among the largest in U.S. history, but not the largest” (Kekatos, Benadjaoud, January 28th). In 2023, the amount of cases of tuberculosis have been at their highest in a decade.

Additionally, there have been 79 confirmed latent cases which means it’s dormant and not yet harmful. Those infected with tuberculosis have a 10% lifetime sickness chance and those with a compromised immune system have a higher chance of falling ill. According to Jacqueline Howard with CNN, “Nationally, tuberculosis case counts in the United States increased in 2023 among all age groups and in most reporting jurisdictions, according to a report released last year by the CDC. The numbers of reported cases rose slightly from 8,320 in 2022 to 9,615 in 2023, and the rate of TB rose from 2.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2022 to 2.9 in 2023. But the report emphasizes that the United States has “one of the lowest TB rates in the world” and that most US residents are at “minimal risk” for TB” (Howard, January 28th).