
Missouri Rightly Concerned About Tuberculosis Outbreak in Kansas
I don't believe in being an alarmist, but the state of Missouri is right to be concerned about a big outbreak of tuberculosis that is ongoing right across the border in Kansas. Talk about a crisis that is practically happening on your doorstep.
Let's be clear about what this tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas is and what it isn't (yet).
Starting with and sticking to the facts is a good idea I think. First, according to Time, there are 67 people being treated for active tuberculosis in Kansas right now. There are 79 latent cases of tuberculosis in Kansas that are confirmed.
Why should Missouri be concerned?
There are two primary reasons. First of all, there are cases in the Kansas City area according to CDC reports. If you live and/or travel through the Kansas City area, you know that the state line is a mere formality. If someone on the Kansas side is sick, you can count on the fact that they often travel to the Missouri side of the city.
Second, tuberculosis is highly contagious. The good news is can only be transmitted when the infected person has symptoms, but if that's the case, it's very much transmittable.
This is a topic that hits very close to home for my family if you're familiar with the tuberculosis that my distant ancestor John Henry "Doc" Holliday suffered from. Back in the late 1880's, it was often referred to as "consumption", but it's tuberculosis.
Now, there are treatments for those who contract tuberculosis, but it remains a potentially fatal illness. The fact that there's a near-record outbreak happening in Kansas should be concerning for everyone in Missouri. This disease will not stop at the border.
Inside SNL's Heidi Gardner's Kansas City, Missouri Very 70's Home
Gallery Credit: Architectural Digest via YouTube
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