Maine health officials confirm three active tuberculosis cases as U.S. sees uptick in infections
State public health agency says contacts are being traced and each case appears to come from a separate source; officials note a wider national rise in TB cases.
Maine public health officials reported three active cases of tuberculosis this week and said contact tracing and testing are under way as the disease shows signs of increasing in parts of the United States.
Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the agency is "aware of three active TB cases with links to the Greater Portland area and is in the midst of conducting our typical response." She said health workers are attempting to reach anyone who might have had contact with the infected patients so they can be tested, and added that each case appears to have been contracted from a separate source.
Officials described the response as standard public health practice: identifying and notifying close contacts, offering testing for latent or active TB infection, and providing preventive treatment when appropriate. Maine CDC declined to release identifying details about the patients. Fox News Digital said it sought additional comment from the agency.
The Maine cases come amid reports of a broader rise in tuberculosis activity across the country. Public health authorities have noted recent increases in active TB diagnoses in some regions, including a confirmed active case this week in a high school student in Riverside County, California, officials said.
Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis and most often affects the lungs. While it is not as easily transmitted as respiratory viruses such as seasonal influenza or SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organization still ranks TB as the world’s deadliest infectious disease, responsible for more than one million deaths annually.
Clinically, TB can be latent or active. People with latent TB infection do not feel sick and are not contagious but can develop active disease later. Active pulmonary TB can produce coughing, fever, night sweats, weight loss and, in some cases, coughing up blood. Public health responses typically include diagnostic testing (such as chest X-rays and sputum tests), a course of multiple antibiotics taken over several months, and temporary isolation of contagious patients until they are no longer infectious.
Health departments emphasize that early detection and treatment reduce transmission and improve outcomes. Contact investigation — identifying people who spent extended time with an infectious patient — allows health workers to test for latent or active infection and offer preventive therapy to those at risk of progression.
In recent years, U.S. TB control has been challenged by factors that can increase vulnerability and complicate detection, including homelessness, substance use disorders, delayed access to health care, and increased global mobility. National and state officials have urged clinicians to maintain awareness of TB signs, to test appropriate patients, and to report cases promptly so public health teams can respond.
Residents who believe they may have been exposed or who develop persistent respiratory symptoms are advised to contact their local health department or a health care provider for evaluation. Public health authorities said they will continue investigations in Maine and coordinate testing and follow-up care for identified contacts.
State officials did not provide a timeline for when they expect to conclude contact tracing. Federal and state health agencies continue to monitor case counts and advise communities on testing and treatment practices to curb further spread.