Kansas City Tuberculosis Outbreak Highlights Ongoing Public Health Challenge
In an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care, Michael A. Bernstein, MD, stressed the need for effective communication and proactive screening to curb the recent tuberculosis (TB) outbreak.
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Recent TB Outbreak in Kansas City
In a press release, KDHE explained that this outbreak has been ongoing since January 2024, with most patients infected in early 2024 and throughout the summer. As of February 7, 2025, there have been 2 related deaths. KDHE also
Of those with active TB, 35 have completed treatment and are considered cured, while 30 are currently under treatment.1 Similarly, 31 of those with latent TB have completed treatment, and 28 are currently under treatment. Although the outbreak is ongoing, KDHE emphasized the “very low risk of infection to the general public.”
To limit the spread of TB, KDHE is actively identifying and testing at-risk individuals and possible close contacts. Those who test positive are further screened to determine if they have active or latent TB infection, which will help identify the best treatment.
TB typically
Daily antibiotic treatment for 4 to 6 months is recommended for patients with latent and active TB. It is considered dangerous to stop treatment early as it can cause TB to become drug-resistant. After becoming unresponsive to standard drugs, patients with drug-resistant TB require more toxic treatment.
In an interview with the American Journal of Managed Care®, Michael A. Bernstein, MD, director for pulmonary and critical care at Stamford Health, discussed lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic that can be applied to managing the Kansas City TB outbreak. He emphasized the importance of balanced communication to ensure the public remains cautious without causing unnecessary alarm.
“It’s an ongoing process to make sure you get the right information to the right amount of people in the right way,” Bernstein said.
He also highlighted the critical role of public health departments in tracking infections and screening at-risk individuals.
“…they’re an important part of our community, and it’s always easier to play a little bit of offense to identify people at risk than a defensive position when there’s already an outbreak going on,” Bernstein said.
Rise in TB Cases Worldwide
This recent rise in TB incidence is not exclusive to the Kansas City metro area; it has been observed nationwide and globally. In 2023, the CDC
Also, the most recent global TB report from the World Health Organization (WHO)
Due to this increase in cases, leaders at the
However, he emphasized the importance of TB awareness, especially given the recent rise in cases worldwide and nationally.
“I want to keep reminding my young colleagues, my young learners, that just because we don’t see it [TB] in our daily practice doesn’t mean it’s not an extraordinarily important issue,” Buckley said.
References
- Current tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas City, Kan Metro Area. News release. Kansas Health Alert Network; January 31, 2025. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1436 - Kansas City Area TB Outbreak. KDHE. Updated February 7, 2025. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2242/Tuberculosis-Outbreaks - McCormick B. Tuberculosis through time: Historic burden, modern challenges. October 28, 2024. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/tuberculosis-through-time-historic-burden-modern-challenges - Reported tuberculosis in the United States, 2023. CDC. November 7, 2024. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.cdc.gov/tb-surveillance-report-2023/summary/national.html - Global tuberculosis report 2024. WHO. Accessed February 11, 2025.
https://www.who.int/teams/global-tuberculosis-programme/tb-reports/global-tuberculosis-report-2024
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