Maine reports 3 cases of active tuberculosis, the deadliest infectious disease in the world

There are three active cases of tuberculosis in Maine since this week while tuberculosis continues to increase across the country, according to Portland Press Herald.

Lindsay Hammes, agency spokesperson, said that she was “aware of three cases of active tuberculosis with links to the Grand Portland region and is leading our typical response”.

She said that Maine CDC worked to reach anyone who could have come into contact with one of the infected patients so that they could be tested.

Hammes added that each case seems to be contracted from a separate source.

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The X -ray of a TB patient in New York in 2002. (Spencer Platt / Getty images)

Fox News Digital contacted Maine CDC to comment.

Although it is not as contagious as flu or COVID-19, tuberculosis is the deadliest infectious disease in the world, killing more than a million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.

A high school student from the County of Riverside in California was also tested positive for an active case of tuberculosis this week, officials said, but receives treatment and is delighted to recover completely, KTLA-TV reported.

Last week, another active case was reported in a secondary school in Michigan, WWJ-TV reported.

An illustration of tuberculosis bacteria. (Getty)

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After decades of decline, cases of tuberculosis began to check in 2021, after a sharp drop in 2020, the American centers for the control and prevention of diseases were reported in 2022, and the trend has continued since then.

In Maine, the state CDC reported that there had been 28 cases of tuberculosis this year until the end of July, according to the Herald, but stressed that there is no epidemic.

Everyone infected with tuberculosis has no symptoms, but those with active cases may suffer from persistent cough, including blood coughing or expectorations, chest pain, fever and fatigue.

A health worker bearing a protective tuberculosis mask and washing hands. (Getty)

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that targets the lungs, but can also infect other organs, and spread from person to air, according to Johns Hopkins.

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The disease is curable with antibiotics.