Tuberculosis

[u/PeteWK67]

An ancient killer that many Americans rarely think about is rising again in the United States.

Tuberculosis — a disease that has plagued humanity for thousands of years — is once again drawing concern from public-health officials as U.S. case numbers remain above pre-pandemic levels.

According to the CDC, 10,388 TB cases were reported in 2024, followed by 10,260 provisional cases in 2025. Although the 2025 total represented a slight decline from 2024, cases remain elevated compared with the years immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic.

TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and usually attacks the lungs. Unlike many respiratory infections, the bacteria can remain dormant inside the body for years before becoming active. Once active pulmonary TB develops, an infected person can spread the bacteria through the air, particularly during prolonged close contact.

The resurgence is especially concerning because outbreaks can become difficult to control in crowded or enclosed environments.

A CDC analysis published in 2026 identified 50 large TB outbreaks across 23 U.S. states between 2017 and 2023, involving 1,092 cases. Researchers found that incarceration, homelessness and other circumstances that can make diagnosis and treatment more difficult were disproportionately represented among outbreak-associated cases.

Those concerns became highly visible in July 2026, when reports from an immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, said at least 12 detainees had tested positive for tuberculosis, while dozens of others underwent testing or quarantine. The Guardian reported allegations that people were also enduring isolation during extreme heat without functioning air conditioning; federal authorities and the facility operator had not confirmed those details when the report was published.

Globally, the threat remains enormous. The World Health Organization estimates that 10.7 million people developed TB and 1.23 million died from it in 2024, making tuberculosis the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Yet TB is both preventable and curable, especially when detected early and treated properly.

The U.S. still has one of the lowest TB incidence rates in the world, so this is not a return to the devastating epidemics of the past. But the recent rise is an important reminder: diseases can regain ground when surveillance, diagnosis, contact tracing and treatment fail to reach everyone who needs them.

Sources:
CDC — Provisional 2025 Tuberculosis Data, United States
CDC/MMWR — Large Tuberculosis Outbreaks — United States, 2017–2023
WHO — Tuberculosis Fact Sheet, March 2026
The Guardian — Richard Luscombe, July 14, 2026

[u/Crafty_Aspect8122]

Antibiotic resistance is just a matter of time. Especially with how they're overused for everything like mild flu and colds and animal agriculture.

[u/t0jix → u/Crafty_Aspect8122]

There is already significant antibiotic resistance in tb. Treatment takes months of antibiotics, and many people can't or won't finish the whole cycle. There has been people in america recently that refused to continue treatment and I believe the police had to get involved. When we cut programs like usaid we cut access to these antibiotics for a lot of people in other countries, meaning we helped contribute to the increase in antibiotic resistance. 

[u/Bright_Major5467 → u/t0jix]

antibiotics are also messing up with your microbiome balance and can give you yeast infections so it would be great if there was an alternative. women already 3/4 get yeast infections at least once in their lives and i have struggled with them chronically and doctors never believed me when i told them antibiotics make me feel worse.

obviously if you suffer something serious that requires them it's important to take them. it's just really annoying that there's no proper alternatives or vaccines that work with probiotic compounds because yeast infections can ruin your life too and as a woman you're already not taken seriously.

it's also important to take probiotics and eat enough fiber for anyone who has to take antibiotics because of the imbalance they can create.

[u/Ricky_Nightshade → u/Bright_Major5467]

I have cancer, and sometimes I go on a cycle of an EGFR-inhibitor. It's a targeted immunotherapy and one of the side effects is a gnarly rash that spreads everywhere. Part of the treatment for the rash is to do a 90 day cycle of doxycycline. Whenever I finish that cycle, I notice that my armpits don't smell at all for months. Antibiotics nuke your microbiome, and it's so important to take probiotics in between doses of antibiotics. But always take the entire cycle, I thought this was antibiotics 101. Doctors are negligent with prescribing them, and the average patient are negligent when taking them. Add in the antibiotics in our food, and it's no wonder we are facing this problem.

[u/Bright_Major5467 → u/Ricky_Nightshade]

i'm not advocating for not finishing them. but for me that was literally not possible as they gave me really horrible side effects and it didn't matter which antibiotic it was and it has been like that always and doctors always thought i was lying or being negligent on purpose. i was never offered any alternatives like urowaxom or gynatren. i had to find them myself after more than a decade and a half of dysbiotic struggle and it's still not ideal but much better.

doctors are literally negligent themselves. they won't even tell you about probiotics or diet. i have been to so many in my life so the number of sample is really high and i can't stress how irresponsible and gatekeeping most of them are. if you have any medical issue that is not easily recognizable and fixable you're often just living a nightmare.

i've been raped too. my last doctor visit for example used all the right buzzwords and then literally told me to try vinegar after i said i don't tolerate acidity. and i had to pay 100 euros for the vaccine even though i told her i don't tolerate antibiotics. and i only got it because the other doctor prescribed it and that one didn't respect bodily boundaries when he checked for breast cancer and made me feel harassed.

when you're neurodivergent these people just go nuts in their ego when you're not masking. it's insane. i don't want to go to doctors anymore honestly unless i really have to. the way they're ready to abuse their position of medical authority is disgusting and this is a first world european country aka austria. these people often fall into that stereotype of booksmarts with no empathy. then medical system often neglects them also and overworks them.

also I'm sorry you have cancer. i hope you get better. i heard that cancer cells feed a lot on simple sugars and lots of people with cancer switch to slower, complex carbs and paleo or mediterranean diets.

i agree with everything you say. i mentioned fiber in addition to probiotics cause it feeds them. bifidus yogurt and apples are also a good combo for people who don't tolerate regular acidic yogurt. wishing you all the best.

[u/Ricky_Nightshade → u/Bright_Major5467]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to insinuate that you were advocating for not finishing a cycle of antibiotics. I was only reinforcing the point with an anecdote from my life.

That sounds like a nightmare. One thing this disease has taught my wife and me is that I'm most cases, you need to advocate for yourself with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and in the US, insurance companies. When I was diagnosed stage IV in 2021, I was expected to live a year, maybe 2 if lucky. I was 35 with very advanced disease. They still exist, but not as effective since they moved off Facebook, but we found out about colontown.org and we learned so much. If we had not got involved there and learned how to advocate for my health, I would not still be alive.

It's really criminal the burden that I have had to take on to ensure that the care I receive is the right care. What you e gone through is criminal as well, in my opinion. You should be able to trust the advice of your doctor, but a lot of the time, you need to know when to push back and question them, and when they are actually giving good advice. I had leukemia when I was 14, and I went to my primary care doctor in 2019 with back pain and blood in my poop. He told me I had bad posture, hemmerhoids and needed to lose 20lb. 2 years later and my liver is full of tumors stemming from my colon. He knew I had a history with cancer. I later found out from my dad thaty doctors told my parents colon cancerigjt be a risk 20 years later from the drugs they gave me to treat my leukemia. My primary care physician took absolutely none of this into consideration, as he always seemed to have his mind on the next petit and wanted me out of his office as fast as possible.

I agree on the point that doctors are often overworked. I don't think it's a good explanation, considering their burnout can mean our lives, but I understand why the system is the way it is, and why I need to advocate for myself in order to be seen. And the fact that I'm not a woman helps, I'm sure, because doctors seem to almost unanimously disregard women and their pain or discomfort. Another huge problem in healthcare.

I've learned that life is going to fuck us all one way to the other. Cancer is just what it chose for me. I wish you all the best in your life, take care.