An outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City area has grown into one of the largest ever recorded in the United States, with dozens of active cases of the infectious disease reported, according to health officials.

No, you probably didn’t get tuberculosis at Sunday’s Chiefs game. A yearlong outbreak of the bacterial infection in the Kansas City metropolitan area has raised concerns about spread locally and nationally.

The outbreak is real, but Jill Bronaugh, the communications director at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), told Snopes via email that it posed a "very low risk" to the general public.

Health officials in Columbia and Boone County are closely monitoring the ongoing tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas, which state officials have described as one of the largest in recorded U.S. history. However, local officials say there is no immediate cause for concern across mid-Missouri.

Tuberculosis cases linked to an ongoing outbreak in the Kansas City area continue to climb. The outbreak, which began a year ago, killed two people in 2024.

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.

Kansas City-area residents may be alarmed to hear that Wyandotte County is at the epicenter of the largest recorded tuberculosis outbreak in U.S. history, according to state health officials. Fortunately, they say the health risk remains very low.

Stay informed about the ongoing tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas City. Learn about the symptoms, confirmed cases, and precautions to take.

The United States is experiencing one of its largest outbreaks of tuberculosis since the CDC began reporting in the 1950s.

There is a vaccine aimed at preventing TB called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but it’s not commonly used in the U.S., according to the CDC. However, many people born outside the U.S. have gotten the vaccine.

“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.”