Tuberculosis rates declined by nearly half from 2007 to 2017, but racial and geographic disparities remain among certain populations, according to a study published Aug. 21 in The Lancet and reported by STAT.
Researchers analyzed data on 6,072 TB cases in children under 15 and adolescents ages 15-17 using the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System for 2007-17. The data included people in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and U.S.-affiliated islands. The researchers estimated TB rates using population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
They found rates of TB fell from 1.4 cases in 100,000 children in 2007 to 0.8 cases per 100,000 children in 2017. Despite their small populations, children in U.S.-affiliated islands accounted for 15 percent of all TB cases. All nonwhite racial and ethnic groups also had higher rates than whites.