KU Medical Center experts work to control tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas

In January, Kansas made headlines across the country for experiencing the largest outbreak of tuberculosis in the United States since the country began tracking TB cases in the 1950s. Since then, that claim has been downgraded to the largest incidence of the disease over the span of one year.

But that doesn’t mean the TB outbreak hasn’t held the attention of public health officials in the two Kansas City-area counties, Wyandotte and Johnson, where the outbreak is located. Those include faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center who are working with Kansas state and county health departments to identify those at risk, treat people infected and mitigate the spread of the disease.

The United States has an overall low incidence of TB. Why is Kansas experiencing this outbreak?

“I don’t think there’s necessarily anything unique about Kansas, any secret sauce, so to speak,” said Erin Corriveau, M.D., MPH, associate professor in the departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Population Health at KU Medical Center. Corriveau also serves as medical director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and was the deputy health officer and medical director of the TB division in Wyandotte County until July 2024.

An age-old disease once known as “consumption” because of the weight loss and apparent wasting-away of its victims, TB is caused by a bacteria that most often affects the lungs but can also infect other organs including the brain, skin, spine and kidneys. It is spread through the air when people with TB sneeze, cough or spit. Initial symptoms typically include cough, fever, weight loss and night sweats.

Corriveau cited social factors as potential facilitators of the outbreak in Kansas. “The area has industries and workplaces where people work in close proximity, as well as multigenerational large households,” she said. “And there are many people living with chronic conditions, which may not even be diagnosed, that make them more vulnerable to infectious diseases, including TB. And a lot of people don’t have access to care.” Access to care enables early detection and treatment that can prevent the disease from spreading.

As of February 7, 2025, there have been 67 active cases of TB associated with the outbreak, and 79 latent (inactive) infections diagnosed, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). People with latent infections do not have symptoms and are considered not contagious. But without treatment, their infections can develop into active TB weeks or even years after exposure.

Treatment for active disease consists of multiple antibiotics taken for roughly five months, and depending on the patient, sometimes longer, Corriveau said. Treatment for latent TB, which keeps the infection from becoming active, usually involves fewer drugs, taken for a shorter period.

In 2021, in her role as deputy health officer in Wyandotte County, Corriveau oversaw public health efforts for an outbreak of drug-resistant TB. Antibiotic resistance is another factor, in addition to the ease of transmission and obstacles to detection, that has made TB difficult to eradicate globally, despite being a preventable and curable illness.

The current outbreak in Kansas, which began in January 2024, is not antibiotic-resistant, Corriveau said. And although TB is a disease she takes very seriously, she noted that the risk to the public is low.

Ryan Kubat, D.O., assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at KU Medical Center, concurs. As part of a contract that the infectious diseases division has with KDHE, Kubat has been working to manage the response to the recent TB outbreak. Also a consulting physician with the Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis, one of four Centers of Excellence for TB in the country designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he has been diagnosing and treating people with TB at a clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, since the summer of 2024.

Kubat noted that many of the current cases of TB were found proactively after the first few cases were identified, at testing events held at schools, churches and workplaces within the community. Many started on treatment at that time, and people are generally considered no longer to be contagious after two weeks of therapy, he said.

“We have been dealing with this outbreak since early 2024. A great deal of testing has already been performed in people potentially exposed to individuals with tuberculosis, and the risk to the general population is very low,” said Kubat. “But we want people to be aware that although you may think of TB as an ancient disease or a disease of the Old West, it's still a disease that's very real in our world. The signs and symptoms of TB are something to be aware of. This is a disease that requires ongoing surveillance and work throughout the world to help keep it controlled.”