The number of TB cases in Iowa continues to fall, according to health officials. The number of active cases reported by Iowa health officials dropped from 74 in 1997 to 43 in 2001. There have been 11 cases through May 2002. But in the mid- to late 1990s, Iowa averaged between 50 and 70 active cases of TB. At the time, health officials warned the rate was rising among foreign-born residents. They also said Iowa's number of cases could rise or fall depending on efforts to identify and treat the disease. Now, officials say tuberculosis cases have taken a definite down turn. Iowa's most recent TB rate is 1.5 active cases for every 100,000 residents; the national average is 5.8 per 100,000 residents.

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