FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Thousands of people in California are diagnosed with tuberculosis each year. Health leaders in Central California say they continue monitoring cases closely across the region.

State health data show that in 2025, more than 2,100 people were infected with tuberculosis statewide.

“Tuberculosis is highly contagious. It can be transferred from one person to another simply by talking, singing, coughing or sneezing. This bacteria can be transmitted from one person to another,” said Leticia Berber, a health education specialist with the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

Tuberculosis typically affects the lungs and appears in two forms: active and inactive, also known as latent TB.

“The latent is often referred to as like bacteria that are asleep in your body, and so you can’t get sick from it. You can’t spread it to others,” said Dr. Ignacio Santana, Merced County health officer. “Active TB, on the other hand, which is a second form, the bacteria are awake and they’re making people sick.”

Health leaders in Central California say they are consistently testing and treating latent cases of tuberculosis.

According to the California Department of Public Health, Fresno County reported 50 cases of tuberculosis in 2025, while Merced County reported five cases. In 2024, Fresno County recorded 52 cases and Merced County reported 11.

Santana said health officials remain vigilant, adding that many tuberculosis cases originate outside the United States.

“80% of the TB cases in the US are due to people who are born in a high-incidence country,” he said.

Berber said Fresno County has documented 15 tuberculosis cases so far this year. Health leaders say tuberculosis can be treated, particularly when diagnosed early.

“If we have a latent TB, this individual can take medication for up to three months. Every day, there is a pill to take. This treatment can take up to three to 12 months, depending on the individual’s health status,” Berber said.

Active tuberculosis cases require more aggressive treatment.

Health officials say recognizing symptoms early, wearing masks and undergoing screening remain the most effective ways to prevent the spread of tuberculosis.

For news updates, follow Ana Torrea on Facebook, X and Instagram.

California Love is displayed throughout the NCAA men’s basketball tournament this year, with UCLA leading the way.

However, there are some surprising California sleepers experts predict can have a Cinderella run and bust brackets along the way. California Baptist, Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s College have all earned bids to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The California Baptist Lancers are going to the big dance for the first time. The Santa Clara Broncos are going for the first time in a long time; their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1996, when they were led by Steve Nash.

For the Saint Mary’s Gaels, it’s their fifth straight appearance, but they have been a first- or second-round exit each year since 2022.

All three hope to make this the year of unpredictability. Here’s what the experts think of their chances in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

More NCAA: March Madness bracket predictions, from hot takes to upsets to Final Four picks

The California Board of Parole Hearings voted on Wednesday to reevaluate an elder parole grant for a convicted child predator from Sacramento.

Gregory Vogelsang, 57, was sentenced back in 1999 to 355 years to life for sexually assaulting kids, some as young as three years old.

In both 2022 and 2024, Vogelsang was found not suitable for parole. But last year, on November 4, a small parole board preliminarily granted it. The case was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office for review, and he referred it back to the larger parole board for what was expected to be a final decision during Wednesday’s hearing.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said the board instead voted to refer the grant of elder parole to a rescission hearing in four to six months. That hearing is meant to determine “if a fundamental error was committed by the granting panel that may indicate that a grant of parole was improper,” according to the CDCR.

That rescission hearing will determine whether the original parole grant for Vogelsang should stand or be reversed.

Under California’s elder parole law, inmates age 50 and older who have served at least 20 consecutive years in prison are eligible for release.

This is not the first child predator to possibly be released in the Sacramento region under the state’s elder parole law.

Just last month, David Allen Funston was expected to be released under California’s elder parole law but was kept behind bars after new charges were filed in nearby Placer County.

Funston, 64, was convicted back in 1999 of 16 counts of kidnapping and child molestation and later sentenced to three consecutive sentences of 25 years to life in prison.   

Some state Republicans are calling on Gov. Newsom and the California Board of Parole to do more and stop possible releases of this nature.

“We should be strengthening protections, not weakening them. We should be standing with survivors, not retraumatizing them. We should be ensuring that those who commit most heinous crimes, especially against children, are held fully accountable,” Assemblymember Jeff Gonzelez said during a press conference in Sacramento ahead of Vogelsang’s hearing. “This is not about politics. This is about right and wrong.”

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho issued a statement Wednesday afternoon thanking community members “for the overwhelming response” to oppose Vogelsang’s release at the hearing.

“Hundreds of you showed up, emailed, and called the Board of Parole—you put people before predators, public safety above politics and children before criminals who preyed upon the most vulnerable,” Ho said.