During the 19th century, TB claimed more lives in the United States than any other disease. With improvements in nutrition, housing, sanitation, and medical care during the first half of the 20th century the number of cases and deaths dropped dramatically. In the 1940s and 1950s, with the introduction of antibiotic therapies for TB, the decline continued. By 1985, the number of cases had fallen to 22,201 in the United States, the lowest figure recorded in modern US history. TB has re-emerged as a serious public health problem.
Tuberculosis is the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious organism.
Tuberculosis kills more adults each year than AIDS and malaria combined. Seventeen and a half percent of active TB was found in Asians. TB is primarily an airborne disease, and is not likely to be transmitted through personal items, such as clothing, bedding, or other items that a person with TB has touched. However, in people with weakened immune systems, especially those with HIV, TB organisms may overcome the body's defenses, multiply, and cause active disease. A skin test, known as the Mantoux test, is used to identify most people with M. tuberculosis within six to eight weeks after initial exposure.