In an effort to stamp out the last remnants of tuberculosis in the United States, federal health officials on Thursday unveiled a plan that calls for new methods of treating and preventing the sometimes deadly disease. Great strides have been made in lowering TB rates, now at an all-time low of seven cases per 100,000 people. But doctors are worried that drug-resistant strains of TB may be spreading. That, combined with complacency and global TB outbreaks, could cause a resurgence in the United States. We have to be mindful that the disease is still with us and in some parts of the country we are not seeing the national decline.
Tuberculosis is an airborne disease spread only through prolonged, close-quarters contact.
In most cases, it is easily cured. But if the disease goes undiagnosed or untreated, it can be fatal. Since 1992, TB cases in the United States have decreased 31 percent, reaching a record low of 18,361 last year. But between 1992 and 1997, the number of TB cases increased 6 percent among people born in another country. D.C. The outline released Thursday by a federal advisory council to the CDC is similar to a strategic plan to eliminate TB released in 1989.