The Kansas Department of Health Environment (KDHE) has assured the public the relative risk to the public is low
A tuberculosis outbreak in the US state of Kansas is causing global alarm. The outbreak is said to be the largest in that country and has been continuing since last year.
While the Kansas Department of Health Environment (KDHE) hasthe public the relative risk to the public is low, there are at present 67 active cases in the state. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are assisting the department in testing and contact tracing of affected people. Most of the cases have been reported from Wyandotte county. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that is spread through the air and can be highly contagious for people who have low levels of immunity. While it commonly manifests as a respiratory infection, it can also affect other parts of the body such as brain and bones.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that is spread through the air and can be highly contagious for people who have low levels of immunity.
“Following standard practice in infectious disease investigations, local health departments are working with each patient to identify possible close contacts and conduct TB testing at no cost. Patients who test positive will be further screened to determine if they have active TB disease or latent TB infection, which will help determine the best treatment. Treatment will be provided through the patient’s local health department, and it will be provided for free if the person is uninsured or the treatment isn’t covered by health insurance.
Treatment will be provided through the patient’s local health department and will be provided for free if the person is uninsured or the treatment isn’t covered by health insurance,” KDHE said in a statement on its website.
Since the outbreak started in January last year, there have been two casualties. However the CDC has refuted claims of the Kansas outbreak being the largest in US history, citing the outbreak in a homeless shelter in Atlanta where 170 active TB cases and 400 of latent TB were reported in 2008.
