Kansas has been at the center of an ongoing tuberculosis outbreak for the last year. Around 67 active cases have been confirmed since the start of 2025, and nearly 400 people are being monitored for exposure. Another case has been identified in a Michigan high school.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 9,633 reported tuberculosis cases in the US in 2023, a 15.6% increase from 2022. To put that into perspective, that’s an incidence rate of 2.9 cases per 100,000 people. Tuberculosis is prevalent in the US, but it’s both preventable and curable.
Early detection and treatment plans have helped limit further disease transmission in the US. However, we’ve seen numbers creep back up over the last few years, possibly partly due to reduced access to medical care during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Kansas outbreak is more prominent than usual, though that doesn’t mean it’s a cause for panic. Despite being spread through the air, tuberculosis is not easily contracted, because it only spreads when a person has symptoms. Read on to learn everything you need to know about tuberculosis, including what it is, how it’s spread and how to treat it.
For more on staying healthy, see which at-home COVID and flu tests you should use and our tips and tricks to tackle cold and flu season.
What is tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis, or TB, is a curable infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs. However, it can affect other tissues and organs, which is called extrapulmonary tuberculosis. It’s a prevalent disease that’s on the rise. The World Health Organization estimates that in 2023, around 1.25 million people died from the disease. 95% of TB-related deaths occur in developing countries.
Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacterium that spreads through the air when an infected person talks, laughs, sneezes or coughs. It’s an airborne disease, though it doesn’t spread easily. You must be in close contact with someone with TB for an extended time. Most people get it from family members.Â
The tricky thing about tuberculosis is that not everyone infected gets sick immediately. That’s called inactive or latent tuberculosis. The inactive bacteria stay in the body, with the potential to become active later, especially during times of weakened immune systems.
You can’t predict when or if it becomes active. Some live with latent tuberculosis for a lifetime without ever developing full-blown TB. Unlike other infectious diseases like COVID, you can’t spread tuberculosis germs unless it is active in the body and you are experiencing symptoms.
That doesn’t mean that latent TB isn’t a big deal. In the US, approximately 80% of people who get active tuberculosis develop it from untreated latent TB. That’s why it’s essential to be aware of potential exposures and seek treatment even if you don’t develop symptoms.
Signs and symptoms
Anyone can get tuberculosis. However, only those with an active infection will exhibit symptoms. According to the CDC, conditions that increase your risk for TB include but are not limited to diabetes, weakened immune system, tobacco use and alcohol abuse. Additionally, tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death for those with HIV.
The signs and symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Fever, chills and night sweats
- Coughing up blood or mucus
- Cough lasting at least 3 weeks
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
If you have any symptoms or were exposed to someone who does, talk to your doctor immediately to set up a treatment plan. There are two main tests for TB: a skin test and a blood test. Other tests can also be used, like chest x-rays or testing a sample of mucus you cough up.
I mentioned that active and latent TB is curable, though it’s not as simple as taking some antibiotics for a couple of weeks, as with other bacterial infections. Depending on the treatment plan, the combinations of medications taken to treat TB will last four, six or nine months. If you don’t see your treatment through, it can return.
What this means for you
Outbreak or not, your risk of getting tuberculosis is low unless you’re in very close contact with a person with active symptoms. Even if you’ve breathed in TB germs, you cannot spread it to anyone else right away. Transmission is limited to those with active symptoms, not latent TB.
Conditions like a weakened immune system or diabetes can increase your risk. However, it’s not something the average person needs to frequently worry about in daily life if they practice good hygiene and have a healthy immune system. It’s something to simply be aware of.
Those who have the highest risk for TB:
- People who frequently travel to locations where TB is common, like Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Those who live or work in places where it can be spread, like hospitals, homeless shelters, nursing homes or correctional facilities.Â
- Anyone who has spent time with someone with active TB.
I know what you may be thinking: It’s flu season, and everyone is sick. Not to mention, COVID is still a constant presence and has many symptoms that overlap with TB. They also both attack the lungs. How can I be sure I don’t have tuberculosis?
Differences between COVID and tuberculosis:
- A symptom of COVID is the loss of taste or smell.
- Tuberculosis has a longer incubation period, and the symptoms have a much slower onset.
- With tuberculosis, a cough will last longer than three weeks and often contains mucus or blood.
If you’re still unsure, think about if you’ve spent time around anyone experiencing symptoms. One of the most critical markers is the duration of your cough. Because it’s a lung infection, one of the main warning signs of tuberculosis is a persistent cough lasting three or more weeks. It’s always worth visiting your doctor, who can test you for the flu, COVID and tuberculosis.
Always get tested if you think you have been exposed. Latent tuberculosis may not actively spread symptoms, though if untreated, it can develop into active TB later.
Efective ways to stop the spread of tuberculosis:
- Wash your hands regularly.
- Allow in natural light. UV light can kill TB bacteria.
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- Wear protective masks if you are in contact with someone who has TB.
- Stay in ventilated areas. TB bacteria can stay in the air for hours without proper ventilation.