Mar. 24--Today marks the 128th anniversary of the discovery of the cause of tuberculosis, and cases of the disease are falling in the U.S. but they have not disappeared entirely.
New York has the third-highest rate of TB in the nation behind California and Texas. In 2009, the rate in New York was 5.3 cases per 100,000 residents versus 3.8 cases per 100,000 nationally.
"Tuberculosis is no longer the widely feared disease it once was, but it still has potential to cause serious harm and even death," said state Health Commissioner Dr. Richard F. Daines in a statement.
TB is caused by an infection of tubercle bacillus, a bacterium that usually infects the lungs, but can affect other body parts. A persistent cough is a common symptom.
TB rates in the U.S. dropped 11 percent to an all-time low in 2009, according to health officials. New York had 1,006 cases, about 75 percent from New York City, which has a large immigrant population.
Of the 11,540 total TB cases reported nationwide, 4,499 were U.S.-born people and 6,806 were foreign-born.
Four countries accounted for more than half of the foreign-born cases: Mexico, Philippines, India and Vietnam.
"We still have a number of multi-drug-resistant cases," said Dr. Margaret J. Oxtoby, director of the state's Bureau of Tuberculosis Control.
The U.S. had 107 cases of multi-drug-resistant cases in 2009, about 1 percent of the reported TB cases and only slightly lower than the 123 cases reported in 2007. New York had 13 cases.
Oxtoby said New York has improved its surveillance because the state lab can now test for TB on phlegm coughed up by patients who have suspected cases of TB. The test takes hours instead of days, and leads to quicker diagnosis of the disease -- and hopefully less opportunity for it to spread.
Still a threat
Tuberculosis cases in the U.S. dropped 11 percent in 2009. Here's a closer look at the 2008 and 2009 numbers:
Location 2008 2009
United States 12,905 11,540
New York state 1,200 1,006
New York City 895 760
Albany County 4 3
Rensselaer County 0 0
Saratoga County 0 3
Schenectady County 0 3
Source: CDC and New York Department of Health
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