Tuberculosis cases are increasing in Washington, which has put public health officials on "heightened alert," according to a recent announcement from the Washington State Department of Health.
Widespread disruptions in health care and missed tuberculosis diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic have likely added to the increase – both locally and globally.
"It's been 20 years since we saw a cluster of TB cases like this," Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett, MD, the state's chief science officer, said in the announcement.
"The pandemic has likely contributed to the rise in cases and the outbreak in at least one correctional facility," he said. "Increased access to TB testing and treatment in the community is going to be key to getting TB under control."
Case numbers appeared to fall in Washington during the first year of the pandemic, possibly due to less reporting and missed diagnoses. But in 2021, cases rose quickly. The state reported 199 cases, marking a 22% increase from 2020.
So far this year, 70 cases have been reported, including 17 new cases that all have connections with each other and several state prisons.
The state's Department of Corrections, Department of Health, and the CDC are working together on testing and decreasing spread, MaryAnn Curl, MD, the chief medical officer for the Corrections Department, said in the statement.
