On Jan. 31, 2025, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported that there were 67 confirmed cases of active tuberculosis (TB) disease, including 60 in Wyandotte County and seven (7) in Johnson County, associated with this outbreak. Of these individuals, 35 have completed treatment and are considered cured and 30 are currently under treatment. Most are no longer considered infectious to others or are isolating to avoid infecting others. There are two reported deaths associated with this outbreak.

There are 79 confirmed latent TB cases, including 77 in Wyandotte County and two (2) in Johnson County. Individuals with latent TB infections are not infectious to other people. Thirty-one of these individuals have completed treatment and 28 are currently under treatment.

The KDHE with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments, have been responding to an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in the Kansas City, Kan. Metropolitan (KCK Metro) area since January 2024.

Although there is a very low risk of infection to the general public in the KCK Metro area, KDHE is working to ensure that individuals are receiving appropriate testing and treatment, which will limit the ability to spread this disease and prevent additional cases from occurring. TB is not as easily spread as COVID-19, the flu, or measles. 

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused, most typically in humans, by the bacterium M. tuberculosis. TB can occur in any part of the body (the brain, spine, lymph nodes, etc.), but it most often causes infection in the lungs. TB is spread from person-to-person through the air. TB is spread when an individual with active TB in their lungs coughs, speaks or sings, releasing tiny droplets that can be inhaled by others.