United States: Health officials in Kansas struggle to contain what has become the biggest tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in American history following 67 confirmed cases since the start of the year.
Record-High TB Cases Reported
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment tracks 67 confirmed tuberculosis cases across 60 active cases in Wyandotte County and seven cases in Johnson County. The number of tuberculosis cases has reached its largest total since the 1950s when the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started reporting statistics about tuberculosis, as reported by HealthDay.
Health officials perform tests while providing medical treatment to the affected patients.
“While there is a very low risk of infection to the general public in these communities, KDHE is working to ensure that patients are receiving appropriate treatment, which will limit the ability to spread this disease and prevent additional cases from occurring,” KDHE spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh told the University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP News in an email. “This outbreak is still ongoing, which means that there could be more cases.”
How TB Spreads and Who Is at Risk
A person with active TB disease can transmit the infection through air particles created when coughing or speaking. Those who live closely with persons who have active TB disease face the greatest likelihood of acquiring the infection.
The respiratory system stands as the main target of TB, though the infection has the capability to cause damage to crucial organs such as the brain, kidneys, and spine. Here are the two forms:
People with latent TB infection have an inactive disease which displays no symptoms. People with latent TB do not transmit the infection yet they face the risk of developing TB when they fail to receive medical treatment.
TB disease exists as an infectious condition with signs that include a lasting cough, chest discomfort, exhaustion, body weight reduction, and nocturnal sweating.
Kansas health officials conduct routine screening tests on all positive cases to establish if patients show signs of latent TB infection or active disease conditions. The prescribed treatment for latent tuberculosis requires patients to take isoniazid or rifampin medications for nine months or longer, as reported by HealthDay.
Treatment and Prevention Efforts
Active tuberculosis patients need to take a combination of drugs containing ethambutol alongside rifampin and pyrazinamide during their extended treatment.
- The existing Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine is not widely adopted in American medical practices according to the CDC.
- Different population groups demonstrate increased susceptibility to TB infection including those who:
- We either originate from countries that have high TB rates, or we visit such locations, including Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
- People who reside or work inside homeless shelters, along with inmates at prisons and elderly individuals in nursing homes, face an increased risk of developing TB.
- You have recently shared time with an individual suffering from active tuberculosis.
People with compromised immune systems because of health conditions combined with medication usage.
The local health departments across Kansas offer free testing services to anyone who needs assessment services regardless of their insurance situation.