Rock Chalk Doc Explains TB Outbreak In Kansas Without Blaming Mexicans

This doctor with decades of experience offers a counterpoint to all of the social media and Internets epidemiologists . . . Here's a more compassionate take than meanie comments from all the dudes who haven't enjoyed a meal with their families in at least a decade . . . Take a look . . . 

The United States has an overall low incidence of TB. Why is Kansas experiencing this outbreak?

“I don’t think there’s necessarily anything unique about Kansas, any secret sauce, so to speak,” said Erin Corriveau, M.D., MPH, associate professor in the departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Population Health at KU Medical Center. Corriveau also serves as medical director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment and was the deputy health officer and medical director of the TB division in Wyandotte County until July 2024.

An age-old disease once known as “consumption” because of the weight loss and apparent wasting-away of its victims, TB is caused by a bacteria that most often affects the lungs but can also infect other organs including the brain, skin, spine and kidneys. It is spread through the air when people with TB sneeze, cough or spit. Initial symptoms typically include cough, fever, weight loss and night sweats.

Corriveau cited social factors as potential facilitators of the outbreak in Kansas. “The area has industries and workplaces where people work in close proximity, as well as multigenerational large households,” she said. “And there are many people living with chronic conditions, which may not even be diagnosed, that make them more vulnerable to infectious diseases, including TB. And a lot of people don’t have access to care.” Access to care enables early detection and treatment that can prevent the disease from spreading.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KU Medical Center experts work to control tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas

Faculty at KU Medical Center are working with state and local health departments to contain the spread of the disease.