‘Remain calm’: Wyandotte County leaders urge caution amid TB outbreak

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - Wyandotte County leaders say there is no reason to panic over reports that Kansas City, Kansas, has one of the largest documented TB outbreaks since the 1950s.

In a statement released Tuesday, Mayor Tyrone Garner said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is monitoring the outbreak and making sure those impacted are treated.

The department said the outbreak started a year ago. Cases related to it led to two deaths in 2024.

Doctors said there could be additional TB cases linked to this outbreak, but that the risk to the public is “minimal.”

“Yeah outbreaks can be scary and we are in a constant war with the world around us. The microbes around us I think for this particular case for tuberculosis the general public there is very low risk the general public for catching this disease or this infection from this outbreak setting,” Dr. Dana Hawkinson, University of Kansas Health System, said.

At least 67 people have been treated for active TB infections linked to the current outbreak. Of those, 60 are in Wyandotte County and 7 are in Johnson County. CNN is also reporting that there are 79 confirmed latent cases. That means tests detect TB in the body but it’s not making people sick.

Wyandotte County leaders are asking people to “remain calm” and that the risk of contracting TB is low for most people.

According to the CDC, TB is a disease caused by germs that spread person-to-person through the air. It can happen while someone with active TB coughs, sings, or even speaks.

Symptoms of active tuberculosis include cough, chest pain, and coughing up blood.

“Certainly we know tuberculosis is spread through the air, but it is more difficult to catch that infection even when you’re in a room with somebody who’s coughing and certainly the risk is higher, but it is typically a more difficult disease to catch,” Hawkinson said.

People who test positive go through additional screening to determine what type of treatment they need, according to the health department.

Doctors say the disease is curable and often treated with drugs that usually include antibiotics.

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