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Cases of ‘white plague’ rising in US as doctors warn of ‘rebound effect’

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A potentially deadly disease known as “the white plague” has been rising in the U.S. since the pandemic, health officials have warned.

Tuberculosis (TB) gets its nickname from the pale appearance of those affected with the disease.

After a dip in 2020 with the onset of COVID – likely due to underdiagnosis and reduced screenings, according to health experts – cases of TB have increased every year since.

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More than 10,600 cases were confirmed in 2024, which is around three people for every 100,000, per the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This marks the third consecutive annual increase, and the total 2024 case count is the highest annual number since 2013.

Despite the recent increase, TB rates in the U.S. remain relatively low compared to many parts of the world, as the global average is about 131 cases per 100,000, per the World Health Organization. That’s approximately 40 times higher globally compared to the U.S.

TB is a curable bacterial infection that targets the lungs, but can also infect other organs, according to Johns Hopkins. It is spread through airborne particles released when an infected person coughs, speaks or sneezes.

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Renuga Vivekanandan, MD, professor at Creighton University School of Medicine and VP and CMO of CHI Health Physician Enterprise Midwest, said the rise in tuberculosis cases in the U.S. is concerning, but noted that it was foreseeable.

“The COVID-19 pandemic effectively disrupted TB surveillance and treatment programs across the country,” the doctor, who is board-certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases, told Fox News Digital. 

“What we’re seeing now is largely a rebound effect – latent TB infections that went undetected or untreated during the pandemic are now activating.”

Another factor is a return to international travel and increased migration from countries where TB is more prevalent, according to Vivekanandan.

The uptick has also strained healthcare systems. “Local and state public health TB programs became understaffed during the pandemic, and that capacity hasn’t fully recovered,” the doctor said.

While around 25% of people have likely been infected with the TB bacteria, about 5% to 10% will go on to develop active disease, according to health agencies.

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A person with a latent infection has been infected with the tuberculosis bacteria, but the bacteria are inactive in the body. While latent-stage TB is not contagious, it can develop into active disease in 5% to 10% of people. 

Only people with active TB disease in the lungs or throat can spread the infection.

Those who get sick with TB may experience mild symptoms, including coughing, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, weakness, fever and night sweats, per the CDC. In some cases, however, the disease can also affect the kidneys, spine, skin and brain.

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“TB can affect any organ of the body, but it causes disease in the lung in over 80% of cases,” Masae Kawamura, M.D., a former TB control director in San Francisco and a tuberculosis clinician, previously told Fox News Digital. “This is dangerous because it causes cough, the mechanism of airborne spread.”

In more severe cases, patients may cough up blood, noted Kawamura, who serves on the board of directors of Vital Strategies, a global public health organization.

“Often, there are minimal symptoms for a long time, and people mistake their occasional cough with allergies, smoking or a cold they can’t shake off,” she added.

“The good news is that TB is both preventable and treatable,” Vivekanandan said.

“People who are at higher risk – including those born in or traveling frequently to high TB-burden countries, individuals living in crowded conditions, or those who are immunocompromised – should speak with their doctor about TB testing.”

Other high-risk groups include people who have diabetes, are malnourished, use tobacco and/or drink excess amounts of alcohol. Babies and children are also more vulnerable to the disease.

Doctors typically use a skin or blood test to detect TB infection, followed by imaging or sputum (mucus) testing to confirm active disease, per the CDC.

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The disease is treated with antibiotics that are taken every day for four to six months, the CDC states. Some of the most common include isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol.

Failure to take the complete course of medications can cause the bacteria to become drug-resistant, which means it does not respond to standard antibiotics. Drug-resistant TB is more difficult and costly to treat and requires longer, more complex medication regimens, according to experts.

If TB goes untreated, it is fatal in about half of its victims.

“Latent TB, which causes no symptoms and is not contagious, can be treated and cured before it ever progresses to active TB, which is infectious,” Vivekanandan said.

“Identifying and treating latent infection is one of the most powerful tools we have for protecting both individual patients and the broader community.”

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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening only for populations at increased risk rather than for the general population.

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‘We didn’t cave’: Thune highlights Schumer, Dems’ losses in DHS funding deal

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As a Homeland Security shutdown drags on, the top Senate Republican says Democrats are getting “zero” of the reforms they demanded.

Congressional Democrats have taken victory laps, viewing the outcome as a key win in their push for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They have also accused congressional Republicans of caving to their demands.

While the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deal includes funding for ICE and much of CBP, it does not include the structural reforms Democrats spent the last 48 days pushing.

SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND MOST OF DHS AFTER HOUSE GOP CAVES

When asked whether Republicans gave in, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” “No, we didn’t cave.”

“I mean, ultimately, what the Democrats did, you could say … this was all about ‘reforms,’ restrictions on ICE and CBP agents and what they could or couldn’t do,” Thune said. “They got none of that. They got zero of the reforms they were advocating for.”

Thune was responding to accusations from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who argued that “House Republicans caved” after backing down from their push for a 60-day funding extension for the agency.

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Schumer argued that divisions in the GOP “derailed a bipartisan agreement” and said Democrats were clear in their objectives to “fund critical security, protect Americans, and provide no blank check for reckless ICE and Border Patrol enforcement.”

“We were united, held the line, and refused to let Republican chaos win,” Schumer said.

Thune countered, “In the end, this was all about their left-wing base demanding that no funding be provided.”

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“The good news for us is we saw this coming, and we pre-funded this last summer, so ICE and CBP are funded through the end of the fiscal year. Then we’ll add to those accounts and make sure they’re funded in future years,” Thune said.

Republicans, now with the backing of President Donald Trump, are eyeing the budget reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement operations for the foreseeable future. It’s a tricky maneuver that would require full buy-in from Senate Republicans.

Trump lauded Republicans, including Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who originally torpedoed the Senate deal, for coming together to reopen most of DHS. He also noted that he would soon sign an executive order to pay, “ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security,” which comes as the funding plan currently wouldn’t pay immigration enforcement support staff.

“Republicans are UNIFIED, and moving forward on a plan that will reload funding for our FANTASTIC Border Patrol and Immigration Enforcement Officers,” Trump said on Truth Social. 

In the meantime, the shutdown is still ongoing. The Senate’s redo of its funding plan Thursday morning sets up another vote in the House, where there is still significant resistance among some hardline Republicans, and the House is not expected to return to Washington, D.C., until April 13.

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Chris Jericho makes surprise AEW return after months of speculation

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Chris Jericho made a stunning return to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Wednesday night after months of speculation over whether he would come back to the company he joined in 2019.

Jericho hadn’t been seen on AEW programming in nearly a year. He was last with The Learning Tree faction, but it disbanded soon after he lost the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship to Bandido at last year’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view.

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As fans geared up for “Dynamite” in Winnipeg, Canada, Jericho’s music hit before the contract signing between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Kenny Omega.

“Winnipeg … AEW … I’m home,” he said before walking out of the ring.

Jericho didn’t make any other declarations or call out anyone on the AEW roster. But his presence was felt in the city where he grew up.

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There were months of speculation over Jericho’s future after he had been off AEW programming. Some pro wrestling fans were hoping he’d make a surprise WWE return at the Royal Rumble or another premium live event for the company.

But that didn’t turn out to be the case.

Jericho joined AEW in January 2019 and was a part of the company’s inaugural event, Double or Nothing. He is the first AEW world champion in the company’s history. He also held the FTW Championship and is a two-time Ring of Honor world champion.

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Restaurants warn tipped wage changes could raise prices, cut jobs, reshape dining experience

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The restaurant industry in a major city is pushing back hard on a key issue.

Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago last week vetoed a City Council effort to freeze the city’s tipped wage system — and leaders in the restaurant sector are warning the decision could lead to job losses, higher prices and lasting damage to one of its most visible economic indicators. 

Gina Barge-Farmer, who owns Chicago’s Wax Vinyl Bar and Ramen Shop with her husband, said the tip credit system supports the traditional full-service dining model.

“The tip credit is the reason full-service restaurants exist as they do,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s what allows a server to earn real money and a guest to have a real experience — not a number on a screen and a counter to pick up from.”

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Without it, she warned, the math quickly breaks down.

“Prices go up, service thins out or both,” she said, noting that customers are unlikely to absorb higher costs without changing their behavior.

“They go out less often, which is not just one restaurant losing a table here and there,” she said. “That’s an entire dining ecosystem gradually contracting.”

Supporters argue the model sustains full-service dining and higher earning potential for workers — while critics say it leaves wages too dependent on tips.

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Industry leaders say the mayor’s move ignores economic realities already facing restaurants.

“Every restaurant worker is already mandated by law to make the minimum wage in Chicago and across Illinois. This veto is completely misguided,” Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“It will eliminate jobs, reduce take-home pay for restaurant workers and cause irreparable damage to the vibrant restaurant industry in each of Chicago’s 77 communities.”

Toia and others had supported the council’s effort to halt the phase out of the tip credit, arguing it would give restaurants time to adjust amid rising costs.

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Mike Whatley, vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association, told Fox News Digital that the City Council’s earlier vote to stop the process “continues the national bipartisan momentum in support of the tip wage.”

Said Whatley in a statement, “We are disappointed that Mayor Brandon Johnson is threatening to continue the policy that is causing his city so much pain.”

Johnson said at a news conference last week that his veto “is really about us keeping our commitment to working people,” FOX 32 in Chicago reported.

He also said he was proud “to stand here to resist every single attempt to undermine workers in this city,” Chicago’s PBS affiliate WTTW reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for further comment.

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Chicago passed the One Fair Wage ordinance in 2023, designed to eliminate the tipped wage structure gradually until it matches the city’s full minimum wage by 2028.

The city’s current minimum wage is $12.62. It’s set to increase to the city minimum of $16.60 by 2028, FOX 32 reported.

Raise the Floor Alliance, a Chicago nonprofit that advocates for lower-wage workers, said in a March 18 news release that keeping the sub-minimum wage “sets a dangerous precedent that when labor groups come to the table and make good-faith compromises with business groups — including a gradual phase-out plan — corporate interests will take advantage and renege on their word.”

Barge-Farmer, the restaurant owner, said restaurants operate on thin margins with little room to absorb sudden labor cost increases.

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“When labor costs rise significantly, something gives — shifts get cut, roles get eliminated or the entire model gets reconsidered,” she said.

Most tipped employees aren’t asking for a change, Barge-Farmer said.

“Some hear ‘higher minimum wage’ and think it sounds like a win, and honestly, on the surface, it does,” she said.

“But the people who are truly great at this job — the ones who hustle, remember names, build regulars and carry a section like it’s their own small business — chose this system precisely because it rewards that kind of effort. They’re betting on themselves.”

She also said top performers could wind up earning less under a higher base-wage model.

“Wage floors don’t always lift everyone up. More often, they compress the ceiling,” she said.

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It will take 34 votes for the City Council to override Johnson’s veto, WTTW reported. 

That effort is expected to take place April 15.

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