A yearlong outbreak of tuberculosis in the Kansas City, Kansas area has taken local experts aback, even if it does not appear to be the largest outbreak of the disease in U.S. history as a state health official claimed last week.

The outbreak is real, but Jill Bronaugh, the communications director at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), told Snopes via email that it posed a "very low risk" to the general public.

Kansas is experiencing record-high tuberculosis cases in two counties. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and a TB expert weigh in on the public risk.