With concerns rising about a tuberculosis outbreak in the Kansas City area, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health has indicated that the outbreak has not extended to Douglas County.

No active cases have been reported in the Lawrence area, the health department said in a news release Wednesday, and “the risk of contracting tuberculosis for the general public is very low.”

The news release indicated that a person with active tuberculosis, or TB, is no longer infectious shortly after beginning treatment, and a person with latent TB is not infectious and cannot spread germs to others.

“While anyone can get TB,” the release said, “only those who have repeated, long-tern exposure to a person with an active infection are at risk.”

TB is spread through the air, the release noted, not through touching.

More information about TB can be found on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and CDC websites.