An Introduction to Tuberculosis Statistics in the United States
In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 14,093 cases of
active tuberculosis (TB) in the United States.
Recent Trends From Tuberculosis Statistics in the United States
While the overall rate of new
tuberculosis cases continues to decline in the United States since national reporting began in 1953, the annual decrease in tuberculosis cases has slowed from an average of 7.1 percent (1993 to 2000) to the current average of 3.8 percent (2001-2005), according to CDC.
In addition to those with active tuberculosis, an estimated 10 to 15 million people in the United States have
latent tuberculosis. On average, about 10 percent of these infected individuals will develop active tuberculosis at some point in their lives. Some underlying conditions increase the risk of latent TB infection progressing to active TB disease -- the risk can be 3 times higher (as with
diabetes) to more than 100 times higher (as with
HIV infection).
Minorities and Tuberculosis Statistics in the United States
Minorities are affected disproportionately by tuberculosis, which occurs among foreign-born individuals nearly nine times as frequently as among people born in the United States. This is partially because they were often exposed to M. tuberculosis in their country of origin before moving to the United States. In 2004, a very high percentage of Asians (95 percent) and Hispanics (75 percent) who were born outside the United States were reported to have tuberculosis.
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