QIAGEN called for a sharper focus on testing strategies to stop new cases of TB disease from erupting and spreading in the United States.
Kansas health officials are dealing with a concerning spike. In all, 75 people in Kansas have been treated for this dangerous lung disease in 2024 – nearly twice as many as all of last year – and two people have died from the infection.
As the data show and Kansas illustrates, public health officials nationwide have been battling with a rapidly growing number of exposures to active TB cases. From childcare facilities in Manchester, NH and Omaha, Neb., to transit lines in San Diego, a casino in Contra Costa, Calif., chicken processing plants in Alabama and schools in many states including Arizona and North Carolina. In May, Long Beach, Calif., declared a public health emergency due to TB.
Last year, the sharpest TB case rate increase was among children aged 5-14. Case rates, while modest, increased by 42% among this fragile group. Modern blood-based tests, such as QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), lighten the burden on physician practices and deliver more accurate results more quickly. Earlier this year, the AAP updated its TB screening guidelines to encourage use of blood-based testing for children of all ages, including those from birth to two years old.
Public health officials recommend testing for: people who recently have been exposed to active TB disease, people with weak or suppressed immune systems including those in treatment for HIV, cancer, Crohn’s, or transplants, and elderly individuals with underlying chronic health conditions. Long a scourge of poverty and poor living conditions, TB also threatens the homeless, prisoners, intravenous drug users, and those in close, large group living or working conditions. In addition, foreign-born individuals from high-risk regions around the world including countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America carry a higher risk of infection.
Unfortunately, TB is not top-of-mind for many doctors and healthcare providers. In 2023, only about half (53%) of healthcare providers surveyed routinely tested patients in high-risk groups. The CDC called for greater awareness among practicing healthcare providers and greater efforts “identifying and overcoming barriers to recommended testing and treatment.”
Keeping TB top of mind, and sharing the latest science, data, and public health strategies are the goals of QIAGEN’s free, virtual Global TB Summit.
The company warmly invites healthcare providers, public health advocates, and policy makers to join its free, CME and CPD-accredited Global TB Summit 2024 October 8-11 to receive updates on the latest data, news and strategies to finally defeat TB over the next decade.
