National News U.S. Sees All-Time Low in TB CasesMarch 21, 2003 A note from TheBody.com: The field of medicine is constantly evolving. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! While tuberculosis cases in the United States have reached
an all-time low, health officials say they still need to work to
reduce TB among blacks and immigrants. CDC said yesterday that
15,078 TB cases were reported in 2002, a 5.7 percent drop from
2001. Four states -- California, Texas, New York and Florida --
account for 48 percent of the nation's cases.
Adapted from:CDC said the national TB rate -- 5.2 cases per 100,000 people -- is the lowest recorded in the United States since the start of reporting in 1953. The health officials attributed the decline to a better public health infrastructure and to services to prevent TB's spread. However, TB rates among blacks are nearly eight times higher than among whites and are twice those of Hispanics, said Dr. Kenneth Castro, CDC's director of the division of TB elimination. "Closing the gap in tuberculosis rates is essential if tuberculosis is to be eliminated in our country," he said. In 2002, for the first time, foreign-born residents accounted for more than 50 percent of US TB cases. While the TB rate for US natives is 2.8 cases per 100,000 people, the rate for foreign-born persons is 23.6 cases per 100,000. Health officials worry that a lack of attention to TB could prompt a repeat of the mid-1980s, when US TB rates rose dramatically after funding was cut. It took until the early 1990s for state and federal officials to rebuild TB programs and drive rates down again. Now, state budget crunches are forcing health departments to stretch resources, officials say. The full report, "Trends in Tuberculosis Morbidity -- United States, 1992-2002," is published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2003;52(11);217-222). Associated Press 03.20.03; Daniel Yee A note from TheBody.com: The field of medicine is constantly evolving. As a result, parts of this article may be outdated. Please keep this in mind, and be sure to visit other parts of our site for more recent information! This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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