'White plague' is on the rise in the US — it's deadlier than COVID and becoming antibiotic-resistant

 One of humanity’s oldest and deadliest killers is staging a modern-day comeback.

The so-called “white plague” reclaimed its title as the world’s deadliest infectious disease in 2023, after being briefly overtaken by COVID-19 during the first three years of the pandemic.

And the US isn’t immune. While the country still has one of the lowest rates globally, cases have been climbing steadily since 2020 — reversing three decades of decline.

Just this week, in fact, the man accused of murdering 18-year-old Loyola University Sheridan Gorman failed to show up for a detention hearing because he’s being treated for tuberculosis.

In 2025, provisional data from the CDC shows that 10,260 tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported nationwide, including a staggering 967 in New York alone.

But the real toll could be even higher. TB symptoms are often mistaken for more common illnesses like the flu or RSV, meaning cases can be missed or treatment delayed.

Public health experts say that’s a problem in itself. The longer TB goes undiagnosed, the more it can spread, and the higher the risk that the bacteria causing it will develop antibiotic resistance to its medicines, making it harder to treat.

The good news: TB is preventable — and with proper treatment, many people are cured. Here’s what you need to know about the disease quietly making a comeback across America.

What is tuberculosis?

Also known as consumption and “the robber of youth,” TB is an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs but it can also spread to other parts of the body, including the kidneys, spine and brain.

It’s caused by bacteria that travel through the air. When someone with TB coughs, sneezes, talks or sings, they release tiny, germ-filled droplets that others may breathe in.

But not everyone who contracts TB gets sick — or can pass it on to others. 

There are two main TB-related conditions. The first is active TB, which causes symptoms and can spread from person to person. Left untreated, someone with active TB in the lungs can infect an average of 10 to 15 people each year, especially those they’re in close contact with, like family members and friends

The second is latent TB. In this form, the bacteria remain dormant in the body, meaning the person has no symptoms and cannot spread the infection.

However, latent TB isn’t always harmless. If the immune system weakens and can no longer keep the bacteria under control, the infection can become active — a progression that occurs in about 5% to 10% of cases.

In the US, the CDC estimates that up to 13 million people are living with latent TB. In fact, more than 80% of TB cases nationwide are the result of longstanding, untreated latent infections becoming active.