Tuberculosis Is the Highest It ’ s Been in a Decade

NEW YORK — The number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade, according to a new government report. Forty states reported an increase in TB, and rates were up among all age groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. More than 9,600 cases were reported, a 16% increase from 2022 and the highest since 2013. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Cases declined sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have been rising since. Most U.S. TB cases are diagnosed in people born in other countries. Experts say the 2023 number is in part a combination of a surge in TB cases internationally—the World Health Organization said TB was behind only COVID-19 in infectious fatal diseases worldwide in 2022. And there are also increases in migration and post-pandemic international travel. But other factors are also at play, including other illnesses that weaken the immune system and allow latent TB infections to emerge. CDC officials expected TB numbers would rise, but the 2023 count “was a little more than was expected,” said Dr. Philip LoBue, director of the agency’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. Despite the jump, the number and rate of new TB cases each year remains smaller than it was in the past, and the U.S. has a lower rate of new TB cases than most countries. Read More: Ticks Carry More Diseases Than Just Lyme Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate wire Source Type: news