Officials Tackle Multidrug-Resistant TB in Europe

U.S. must remain vigilant against the respiratory disease, experts say

September 15, 2011 RSS Feed Print

The CDC reported in March that rates of tuberculosis fell to an all-time low in the United States in 2010, but the disease continues to disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, those who are foreign-born, and people infected with HIV.

There was a total of 11,181 tuberculosis cases reported in the United States in 2010, a 3.9 percent decline from 2009 -- to 3.6 cases per 100,000 people. Still, infection rates were seven times higher for Hispanics, eight times higher for blacks, and 25 times higher for Asians than for whites, the CDC researchers found.

The study also found that the TB rate was 11 times higher among those born outside the United States.

More information

For more on tuberculosis, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.