New cases of tuberculosis in the District of Columbia fell 13 percent in 2001, continuing a 20-year decline and coinciding with increased surveillance efforts in jails, among the homeless and in the HIV/AIDS community, District health officials said yesterday. Diagnoses of active TB dropped from 85 cases in 2000 to 74 last year. That translates into 12.9 cases per 100,000 residents in 2001, down from 14.9 the year before, said Michael Richardson, senior deputy director in the city's Health Department. The city's rate remained above the national rate of 5.8 per 100,000 residents in 2000, but local officials said they are heartened by the improvement. Unlike in neighboring jurisdictions, most of the District's TB patients are native-born persons, not recent immigrants. Fewer than 10 TB cases involve immigrants.

Back to other CDC news for March 20, 2002

Previous Updates | Search the CDC archive