The epidemic of tuberculosis in Kansas City increases; One of the most important in American history – national

An epidemic of tuberculosis in the Kansas City region has become one of the largest ever recorded in the United States, with dozens of active infected diseases reported, according to health officials.

As of January 24, 67 active cases of tuberculosis, or TB, had been reported in the counties of Wyandotte and Johnson in Kansas.

The epidemic began last year, Kansas Department of Health and Environment said on its website. He did not specify a source of the epidemic.

The Kansas Ministry of Health and Environment monitors 384 people for exposure to tuberculosis and help tests and treatments, a spokesperson said in a statement.

“Although this epidemic is larger than normal, the risk remains low for the general public,” said the spokesperson.

Tuberculosis, which spreads in the air, is caused by a bacteria that generally affects the lungs, but can also have an impact on other parts of the body, such as the brain, according to American centers for control and prevention of prevention of diseases. If it is not treated, it can be fatal.

People can be infected with tuberculosis germs that can live in the body for years without causing symptoms, called inactive or latent TBs. Without receiving treatment, these people can develop active tuberculosis at any time.

Since 2024, 79 latent infections have been reported in the Kansas City region, Kansas, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

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Four CDC employees are on site to provide assistance for tracing contacts, tests and screening and work with community education leaders, said a spokesperson for the agency.

The Kansas Ministry of Health and Environment did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The United States recorded 8,649 cases of tuberculosis last year and 9,606 in 2023, according to the CDC.

Tuberculosis replaced COVID-19 as the main cause of death-related deaths in 2023, according to a report by the World Health Organization published in October, highlighting the challenges of global effort in the eradication of The disease.

Although anyone can contract tuberculosis, it is most often found in people who live or live in large groups or those who go frequently to countries where tuberculosis is common.

In the United States, the largest epidemic of tuberculosis took place from 2015 to 2017 in a shelter for homeless in Georgia, which was responsible for more than 170 active cases and more than 400 latent cases, according to the CDC, which started to follow the cases of TB in the 1950s.