Rates of tuberculosis (TB) cases among foreign-born entrants living inside the U.S. declined approximately 20 percent between 2007 and 2011, which experts have attributed to efforts within the entrants’ original home country.
Overall, the number of TB cases within the U.S. has fallen during the last 20 years. Unfortunately, TB morbidity rates have remained at the same high rate among foreign-born entrants.
Starting in 2007, researchers saw a steep fall in TB cases in people entering the U.S. Analysts have studied whether this is because of shifts in the sizes of populations or a declined incidence rate of the disease. They evaluated TB case rates, TB case counts and population estimates.
Results demonstrate that five countries — China, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam — have the highest number of TB cases detected within the U.S.
“These results are important because they help guide future TB control strategies,” Dr. Brian Baker, leader of the study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said. “To accelerate the decline of TB in the U.S., it will be important to invest in TB control overseas as well as provide testing and treatment to those with TB infection among the approximately 43 million foreign-born persons currently living in the U.S.”
The study is available in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
