Statistics Demonstrating The Need To Control TB In the US

Posted October 6th, 2006

Why Americans Should Be Concerned About TB

(Source: CDC, Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2004)

TB in the U.S.

  • 14,517 TB cases were reported in 2004, a 2.3% decrease from 2003.
  • 19 states experienced increases in their number of TB cases.
  • 42% of all cases were in CA, NY and TX.
  • 12 states have rates above the national average.
  • The case rate is highest among Asians and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders.

TB Continues to Affect Americans

  • 10-15 million people living in the United States are infected with the TB bacterium.
  • Tens of millions of visitors from other countries enter the U.S. every year.

TB Among Persons Born Outside of the US

  • While TB cases have declined among U.S.-born persons over the last 12 years, the number of foreign-born cases has increased.
  • Out of a total of 14,517 cases in the U.S. in 2004, 54% were among foreign-born. The percentage of cases among foreign-born persons rose from 53% in 2003 to 54% in 2004.
  • Most foreign-born cases were from Mexico (25.4%), the Philippines (10.6%), Viet Nam (7.9%), India (7.1%) and China (4.5%).
  • In 2004, the TB case rate (per 100,000 population) for persons born outside of the US was 22.8%

US — Mexico Border

  • The six Mexican states that border the US — Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas — report approximately 20% of Mexico’s TB cases and have TB illness and death rates that are higher than the Mexican national average.

TB in U.S. States and Cities

(Source: CDC TB Surveillance Report 2004)

The following lists U.S. states reporting case rates above the national average of 4.9 and their subsequent rank.

  1. Hawaii (9.2 cases per 100,000)
  2. California (8.3)
  3. Texas (7.5)
  4. New York (7.1)
  5. Alaska (6.6)
  6. Florida (6.2)
  7. Georgia (6.1)
  8. South Carolina (5.6)
  9. Maryland (5.6)
  10. Louisiana (5.5)
  11. New Jersey (5.5)
  12. Oklahoma (5.1)

States with the most number of cases:

  1. California (2,989)
  2. Texas (1,683)
  3. New York (1,363)
  4. Florida (1,076)
  5. Illinois (569)
  6. Georgia (536)

In 2004, 107 cities reported a population of 500,000 or more, averaging 6.0 cases per 100,000. The following table lists U.S. cities with a case rate higher than the national average of 4.9.
NOTE: 12/ 44 (27%) of the cities with the highest rates are all here in CA. Accordingly; CA had the highest number and second highest rate in the Country.

  • Atlanta, GA (6.9)
  • Austin, TX (5.9)
  • Bakersfield, CA (4.9)
  • Bergen-Passaic, NJ (6.1)
  • Birmingham, AL (6.5)
  • Charleston, SC (7.0)
  • Charlotte, NC (6.4)
  • Chicago, IL (5.9)
  • Dallas, TX (7.6)
  • El Paso, TX (9.8)
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL (5.0)
  • Fort Worth, TX (6.1)
  • Fresno, CA (10.6)
  • Honolulu, HI (9.7)
  • Houston, TX (11.2)
  • Jersey City, NJ (11.2)
  • Lakeland, FL (5.1)
  • Los Angeles, CA (10.0)
  • McAllen, TX (12.5)
  • Memphis, TN (7.8)
  • Miami, FL (11.4)
  • Middlesex, NJ (5.9)
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (5.0)
  • Nashville, TN (5.3)
  • New Orleans, LA (7.5)
  • New York, NY (11.9)
  • Newark, NJ (8.2)
  • Oakland, CA (8.6)
  • Oklahoma City, OK (5.2)
  • Orange County, CA (7.5)
  • Orlando, FL (6.8)
  • Phoenix, AZ (5.7)
  • Raleigh-Durham, NC (7.1)
  • Sacramento, CA (9.1)
  • San Diego, CA (10.9)
  • San Francisco, CA (12.1)
  • San Jose, CA (12.0)
  • Seattle, WA (6.1)
  • Stockton, CA (10.0)
  • Tulsa, OK (5.1)
  • Vallejo, CA (9.0)
  • Ventura, CA (9.0)
  • Washington, DC (8.2)
  • West Palm Beach, FL (8.0)
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