U.S. tuberculosis cases declined 4.2% in 2007 to a record low 4.4 cases per 100,000 residents, or 13,293 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported March 20. Although the TB rate continues to decline, the pace of decline has slowed in recent years, to 3.8% between 2000 and 2007 from 7.3% between 1993 and 2000, CDC said.
TB continues to disproportionately affect foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities. Foreign-born persons had a TB rate nearly 10 times higher than U.S.-born persons (20.6 vs. 2.1 cases per 100,000) and accounted for 58.5% of all cases with known origin.
Hispanics had a rate seven times higher than whites, and for the fourth consecutive year, accounted for more TB cases than any other racial/ethnic group. The TB rate was 23 times higher in Asians than in whites. African Americans had a rate eight times higher than whites, and accounted for the greatest disparity in TB rates among U.S.-born residents.
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