TB trends.

The tuberculosis case rate in the United States is declining, but the rate of decline from 2003 to 2004 was the lowest in a decade, and racial disparities remain a concern, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 14,500 cases of TB were reported in the United States in 2004, for a case rate of 4.9 per 100,000. This is the lowest rate ever recorded, but the 3.3% decline from 2003 was smaller than the 6.8% average annual decline between 1993 and 2002. In 2004, minority populations had significantly higher TB rates than the overall U.S. average: The case rate was 26.9/100,000 in Asians, 11.1/100,000 in blacks, 10.1/100,000 in Hispanics, and 1.3/100,000 in whites.

Furthermore, foreign-born individuals have a case rate of 22.5/100,000, compared with 2.6/100,000 for U.S.-born persons, and the decline in the TB rate over the last 12 years among foreign-born individuals has been only 34%, compared with 65% among U.S.-born persons.

TB remains a health threat that must be taken seriously, according to the CDC, which is stepping up disease elimination efforts, in part by strengthening global partnerships to address TB among the hardest-hit populations.