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 student Sheridan Gorman failed to show up for a detention hearing because he’s being treated for tuberculosis.
Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 10,260 tuberculosis cases were reported nationwide in 2025, 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.
https://nypost.com/2026/03/25/health/white-plague-is-on-the-rise-in-the-us-its-deadlier-than-covid/