CDC Data & Statistics | Feature: Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2009

Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2009
In 2009 there were 11,545 new cases of tuberculosis reported in the United States

Chart: Reported TB Cases, United States, 1993 and 2009 1993: 25,107; 2009: 11,545.Although reported TB cases reached all-time lows in the United States, there are still disproportionately high rates of TB among foreign-born persons from high prevalence countries and among U.S.born racial/ethnic minorities, especially U.S.-born blacks. Among racial and ethnic minorities, unequal distribution of TB risk factors can increase the chance of developing the disease. (To learn more about TB risk factors, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/risk.htm.) In 2009, the reported number of TB cases was 11,545 (3.8 cases per 100,000 persons), a decrease from 2008 (12,906).


* Hispanics accounted for the largest percentage of total cases of TB of any other race/ethnicity (29%).
* Blacks or African-Americans born in the United States represented 42% of TB cases among U.S.-born persons.
* The TB case rate for Asians (23.3 per 100,000) was approximately three times higher than that for Hispanics (7.0 per 100,000) or Blacks or African-Americans (7.6 per 100,000).

To address the high TB case rates among foreign-born persons, CDC is collaborating with other national and international public health organizations to improve screening of immigrants and refugees, test recent arrivals from countries with high rates of TB, and improve TB control activities along the border between the United States and Mexico. Foreign-born rates are declining in number but not as quickly as among the U.S.-born.

* The percentage of cases occurring in foreign-born persons was 59% of the national case total. Forty percent of TB cases were among U.S-born persons, compared to 69% in 1993.
* Foreign-born Hispanics and Asians together represented 80% of TB cases in foreign-born persons, and accounted for 48% of the national case total.
* From 2005 through 2009, the top five countries of origin of foreign-born persons with TB were Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, India, and China.

To achieve TB elimination, ongoing efforts are needed to address the persistent disparities that exist between U.S.-born and foreign-born persons, and between whites and minorities in the United States.

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CDC Data & Statistics | Feature: Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2009