Tuberculosis on Rise: US State Grapples with ‘Unprecedented’ Outbreak 

United States: Ashley Goss from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment presented details of the ongoing efforts to end Wyandotte County’s “unprecedented” tuberculosis outbreak to the Kansas Senate committee on Tuesday. 

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Deputy Secretary Ashley Goss from KDHE Public Health delivered information about the tuberculosis breakout during her guest appearance at the Kansas Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare on Tuesday, January 21. 

The health authorities have maintained a continuous tracking system for active cases connected to this outbreak over numerous years. 

Based on Goss’s announcement to the senators, the agency lowered its recorded active case numbers in 2024. 

KDHE plans to maintain its current partnership with big county businesses because it is essential to identify additional later-stage tuberculosis cases in the area by 2025, kshb.com reported. 

KDHE website statistics indicate Wyandotte County has 60 active tuberculosis cases, while Johnson County shows seven additional active cases. 

What more have the officials stated? 

Goss maintained that KDHE collaborates with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the local public health department under the Unified Government for tuberculosis tracking and treatment efforts. 

The bacterial infection tuberculosis generally affects lung tissue in patients, but researchers have found alternate infection targets. 

The condition exists as a current case when people display symptoms while bacteria from patients can transfer among different individuals, as kshb.com reported. 

Sometimes, patients exhibit inactive or latent tuberculosis signs that involve no sickness but produce not-transmissible bacterial growth.