While most of the country saw increased cases of tuberculosis in 2023, Georgia experienced a slight decline, according to a new surveillance report from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Considered the world’s deadliest infectious disease, tuberculosis or TB is caused by bacteria spread through the air, typically when someone coughs or sneezes. The disease usually attacks the lungs. It can also affect other parts of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Someone infected with the TB bacteria doesn’t necessarily become sick, but if not treated properly, the disease can be fatal, the CDC says.