Colorado: Immigrants Account for Majority of TB Cases Last Year

Tuberculosis cases in Colorado rose 42 percent last year as the number of cases fell across the rest of the country. Of the state's 138 new TB cases in 2001, 62 percent involved immigrants from non-industrialized countries where the disease is more common, according to figures released by the state Health Department Friday. Most of the immigrants came from Latin America, Asia and Africa, said Dr. Ellen Mangione, chairperson of the Colorado TB Elimination Advisory Committee. Dr. Randall Reeve, director of the Denver Metro TB Clinic, said he is worried about the increased number of cases among children. If children under 5 are diagnosed with the disease, it means exposure was recent and most likely from someone else in the household who might be unaware of their illness. In Colorado last year, 23 cases of TB were reported among people under age 20, and 11 of those involved children under age 5. In 2000, there were only five cases of the disease in children under age 5.

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