State Health Officials Find Number of New Reported TB Cases Increased Slightly in 2001
The number of new reported tuberculosis cases in the state rose slightly in 2001, although the overall TB prevalence rate remained the same at 9.5 cases per 100,000 residents, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports. According to the Department of Health Services, doctors reported 3,332 new cases of TB in the state last year, an increase from 3,297 in 2000 (AP/Los Angeles Times, 3/24). The number of new reported TB cases in the state had been declining from a high of 5,382 in 1992 until last year (DHS release, 3/22). The state has the largest number of TB cases in the nation, and there are "wide differences" in the TB rate among ethnic groups in the state, the Times reports. The TB rate for Asian and Pacific Islanders is about 34 per 100,000 residents, compared with a rate of 12.4 per 100,000 African-American residents and 11.4 per 100,000 Hispanics residents. The rate for Native Americans is 7.7 per 100,000 residents, compared with only 2.1 per 100,000 white residents. "Although we have made great progress in California ... we know that much remains to be done to prevent a resurgence of the disease," DHS Director Diane Bonta said (AP/Los Angeles Times, 3/24).
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