Three people in Maine have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest disease, health officials reported Friday.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no connection between the three Portland-area patients, indicating that each was likely infected from a different source.
Health officials reported Friday that three people in Maine have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest disease.
According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the three Portland-area patients are not connected, suggesting each contracted the disease from a different source.
Health officials reported Friday that three people in Maine have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, the world’s deadliest disease.
All three infected patients were in the Portland area. According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the patients are not connected, suggesting each contracted the disease from a different source.
Tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease globally, claiming approximately 1.25 million lives each year—mostly in developing countries—according to the World Health Organization.
In the United States, 565 people died from tuberculosis in 2022, according to the most recent death toll data.
While cases are increasing in Maine, the state currently has no active outbreaks.
So far this year, Maine has reported 28 tuberculosis cases through the end of July, according to the CDC.
The three active cases in the state are not genetically linked, meaning they were not transmitted from one person to another, said Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine CDC.
