tuberculosis

Staff and observers worry that the agency may not be prepared for emerging threats including bird flu and insect-borne diseases. Two fired CDC workers had been deployed to Kansas City to help work on a tuberculosis outbreak.

Wyandotte County is experiencing one of the largest outbreaks of tuberculosis in recent U.S. history. But emails obtained by the Kanas News Service show tension between the state and county health department officials that may have made the response more difficult.

Emails show health department officials argued over basic things like office space during a major tuberculosis outbreak in the Kansas City area. Some staff think the tension set back the tuberculosis response — or at least made it more difficult.

Emails show behind-the-scenes conflict as the Kansas City-area tuberculosis outbreak grew to one of the largest in U.S. history. The county's health director is no longer with the agency as of Tuesday.

El brote de tuberculosis comenzó en enero del año pasado. Los funcionarios de salud de Kansas dicen que los números están tendiendo a la baja, pero aún esperan encontrar más casos.

A tuberculosis outbreak that started in Wyandotte County, Kansas, has grown to be one of the largest in the U.S. since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started tracking the illness in the 1950s. We'll discuss the disease, what we know about this outbreak's origins, and who's at risk.

Kansas has reported one of its largest tuberculosis outbreaks since the 1950s, beginning in Wyandotte County. But infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson says the risk to most residents is "extremely low."

The outbreak started last January. Kansas health officials say numbers are trending downward, but they still expect to find more cases.

Nearly 50 cases of tuberculosis have been confirmed in Wyandotte County — more than the total number of cases in the state of Kansas last year. Still, experts say overall public risk is low.

Health officials have confirmed almost 50 cases of tuberculosis in Wyandotte County, more than in all of Kansas last year. But the public risk remains low.

Kansas health authorities identified about 450 close contacts of the infected student. More than 300 have been tested during clinics on October 12 and November 14.

After an Olathe student tested positive for tuberculosis, four additional cases have been confirmed in the high school. Dr. Doug Swanson, an infectious diseases specialist at Children's Mercy Hospital, shares what symptoms to look for and if the public should be concerned about a wider outbreak.