A yearlong outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City, Kansas area has raised concerns among local health experts. While not the largest outbreak in U.S. history as initially claimed, the high case counts have been described as a 'stark warning' by Dr. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Kansas Health System.
Tuberculosis, caused by bacteria that spreads through the air when infected individuals talk, cough, or sing, is a highly infectious disease. It can manifest in two forms: 'active' TB, characterized by symptoms such as a persistent cough, bloody phlegm, night sweats, fever, weight loss, and swollen glands, and 'latent' TB, where the bacteria remain dormant in the body without causing symptoms or spreading to others.
