Fears are growing in Maine after health officials confirmed three cases of what the World Health Organization calls the “deadliest disease in the world.”
The patients, all located in the Greater Portland area, tested positive for active tuberculosis. Officials revealed the cases are not connected, meaning the individuals were likely infected by different carriers.
“Each patient appears to have been infected by different sources,” health leaders said, pointing to the alarming nature of the development.
Authorities are now racing to track down contacts of the three patients, warning that those exposed may need testing and isolation.
Maine’s CDC has urged the public to stay alert for symptoms of tuberculosis, including a persistent cough lasting more than three weeks, per Trending Politics.
According to the Daily Mail, the U.S. recorded 10,347 cases of tuberculosis in 2024.
That figure marks an 8% increase from the year before and represents the highest case count since 2011, when infections reached 10,471.
While Maine officials insist the public risk is low, the disease’s deadly reputation has shaken residents. The WHO considers tuberculosis the world’s most lethal infectious illness, responsible for roughly 1.25 million deaths each year, largely in developing nations.
Tuberculosis kills up to half of patients if left untreated. That puts its fatality rate far above other well-known diseases. Covid has a fatality rate below 1%, measles kills about 10 percent of untreated patients, and Legionnaire’s disease claims roughly the same.
History shows why tuberculosis still generates fear. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a guaranteed death sentence. Without treatment, the illness wiped out entire communities.
By the 1950s, advances in vaccines and antibiotics turned the tide. Still, tuberculosis was killing close to 16,000 Americans each year during that era. Modern medicine has reduced that toll to about 550 deaths annually in the U.S., but the illness has not disappeared.
The CDC says the vast majority of cases now arrive through migration. Foreign-born patients account for most new diagnoses, raising questions about border protections and health screenings.
Maine’s health authorities moved quickly to get in front of public concern. They confirmed the infections on Tuesday and immediately reminded residents that the disease requires prolonged exposure to spread.
Dr. Dora Anne Mills, chief health improvement officer for MaineHealth, stressed that tuberculosis is not easily contracted. “The vast majority of people do not need to worry about this,” she said.
Even with that reassurance, anxiety has spread through communities in Portland. Parents, church groups, and local businesses have all raised concerns about the outbreak’s timing and whether more cases will emerge.
Health experts warn that panic could undermine public trust. They argue the real danger is not mass infection but complacency, as the U.S. continues to see steady rises in cases after years of decline.
For now, Maine officials say they will remain vigilant, testing those exposed, isolating patients, and monitoring for further spread. Residents, however, are left unsettled knowing that the world’s deadliest disease has surfaced in their own state.
