Doctors say not to panic as KCK patients are treated for tuberculosis

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another public health concern is making the rounds locally in KCK.

49 patients in Wyandotte County are being treated for tuberculosis. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports another seven cases in Johnson County. The total of patients in Wyandotte County is more than public health officials reported in all of 2023.

While this is a worry, healthcare professionals advise the public not to panic since TB isn’t spread as easily as other communicable diseases, such as COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control says tuberculosis, which is a bacterial infection, is spread when people speak or cough. The symptoms are wide-ranging.

According to the Mayo Clinic , those symptoms include:

• High fever
• Chest pain
• Fever/chills
• Weight loss
• Persistent cough
• Night sweats
• Coughing up blood or mucus

“Knowledge is power. This is a disease that’s circulating right now,” Dr. Ginny Boos, St. Luke’s Health System’s Director of Infection Prevention, said on Friday.

Dr. Boos said she expects the Wyandotte County Health Department to conduct contact tracing since the origin of this outbreak will be hard to track down. She and other professionals aren’t sure why the number of TB cases is so high.

“If you’ve got symptoms that may be concerning, reach out for care and testing,” Dr. Boos said.

“The key is to get on a robust treatment program. They’ll get that through the health department and through their physician.”

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is concerned about the 75 current cases it’s aware of statewide, 56 of which are in the Kansas City metro. A spokesperson for that agency encourages symptomatic patients to get tested, but overall, there’s no reason for public panic.

“There is a very low risk of infection to the general public. However, we are working with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department and the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to ensure that patients are receiving appropriate treatment,” Jill Bronaugh, a spokesperson for KDHE, said via email.

It is possible to have a latent case of tuberculosis, meaning the patient carries the infection, but that person’s immune system fights the infection, so no symptoms are seen. The World Health Organization says active tuberculosis can be fatal if it goes untreated.

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