Nation's tuberculosis cases at all-time low

ATLANTA -- The number of tuberculosis cases in the United States last year dropped by nearly 6 percent to an all-time low, federal officials said Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 15,078 cases of TB were reported last year, a 5.7 percent drop from 15,989 in 2001. The decline was attributed to better public health prevention services.

The CDC also said the national TB rate -- 5.2 cases per 100,000 people -- is the lowest recorded in the United States since reporting began in 1953.

However, federal health officials said, TB rates among blacks are nearly eight times higher than for whites and are twice that of Hispanics.

"Closing the gap in tuberculosis rates is essential if tuberculosis is to be eliminated in our country," said Dr. Kenneth Castro, director of the division of tuberculosis elimination at the CDC.

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