The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) says all TB patients in the county have completed treatment and are not infectious

Common symptoms of active TB include coughing, chest pains, fever, fatigue and coughing up blood or phlegm. The airborne respiratory illness is usually transmitted during prolonged close contact with an infected person.

Health officials in Johnson County provided an update Wednesday on tuberculosis cases connected to an ongoing outbreak that started in March 2024.

Kansas health officials are tackling the largest tuberculosis outbreak in US history, with 67 confirmed cases since the start of 2025.

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

A tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas has killed two people and caused at least 146 to become infected with the potentially deadly respiratory disease during one of the largest outbreaks in the nation's history.

“While TB cases in Wyandotte and Johnson counties are getting attention, we want to assure our residents that what we’re seeing in Saline County is normal,” said Jason Tiller, Saline County Health Officer. “There is no immediate reason for concern. TB is preventable, treatable, and does not pose a general risk to the public.”

You don’t need to have the vaccine to attend colleges in Kansas, but some do require you to get tested for tuberculosis before enrolling and going to classes on campus, like at the University of Kansas.

Kansas is experiencing record-high tuberculosis cases in two counties. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and a TB expert weigh in on the public risk.

The Kansas City metro area is experiencing the largest outbreak in U.S. history, with low risk to the general public, Kansas health officials say.

Kansas is currently experiencing a rare outbreak of tuberculosis (TB), the world’s deadliest infectious disease. TB is spread via germs in the air and usually affects the lungs but can also affect the brain, the kidneys or the spine.