Tuberculosis cases are ‘rising’ in Mecklenburg County

CHARLOTTE — Tuberculosis is on the rise in Mecklenburg County, but health officials say the overall risk to the public is still low.

Channel 9 learned Friday that there are currently 31 reported cases of active TB in Mecklenburg County residents. The health department told Channel 9′s Joe Bruno that the county had a total of 37 cases in all of 2023.

TB is a bacterial infection that affects the lungs. It can cause coughing, weight loss, night sweats, fever, and other symptoms, though the disease is treatable with antibiotics.

Mecklenburg County Public Health told Channel 9 that some cases have been linked, but they’re not responding to any official outbreaks or “large-scale contact investigations.”

Public health officials said you can reduce the risk of TB infection by limiting close contact with people who are diagnosed with active TB, washing your hands frequently, and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

North Carolina is also seeing an increase in emergency department visits for respiratory viruses. As of last week, 19.6% of all emergency room visits had symptoms of respiratory virus. You can see the state’s statistics at this link.

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