Epidemiologic Notes and Reports
Tuberculosis -- United States, 1981
During 1981, 27,373 cases of tuberculosis were reported to CDC;
the case rate was 11.9 per 100,000 population, a decrease of 1.4%
in
the number of cases reported and 3.3% in the case rate from 1980
(Table 1).
Case rates for the 50 states ranged from 20.1 per 100,000 in
Alaska to 1.1 per 100,000 in Idaho. In 21 states, 1981's
tuberculosis
rate was greater than or equal to 1980's, while for 29 states and
the District of Columbia, it was lower (Figure 1). The rate for
California has risen during each of the past 3 years; the rates for
Kansas and South Carolina have risen during each of the past 2
years.
Case rates were higher in the southern half of the country
(Figure
2) and in the major cities. In 56 cities with a population
greater
than or equal to 250,000, the rate was 23.3 per 100,000
population--twice the national rate. Miami, Florida, had a rate of
87.0 per 100,000 in 1981, the highest for any major city since
1977;
Omaha-Douglas County, Nebraska, had the lowest rate (3.8 per
100,000).
Reported by Tuberculosis Control Div, Center for Prevention Svcs,
CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: During the past 3 years, no substantial decline
has
occurred in the number of tuberculosis cases in the United States.
From 1968 through 1978, the number decreased by an average of 5.6%
per
year; during the past 3 years, the average decline has been 1.4%.
Surveys show that cases among newly arrived Indochinese refugees
largely accounted for the leveling off of the decline during 1979
and
1980 (1). A similar survey has not been done for 1981, but based
on
data from 14 states (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois,
Kansas,
Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin) and two large cities
(Washington,
DC, and New York City), all of which reported the countries of
origin
of tuberculosis patients in 1981, it is estimated that Indochinese
refugees accounted for fewer cases in 1981 than in 1980. This is
consistent with the fact that fewer refugees arrived in 1981
(121,959)
than in 1980 (155,158). The number of cases among other persons in
the United States increased slightly from 25,569 to 25,841 (Figure
3). There is no evidence that this slight increase has been caused
by
transmission from the Indochinese refugees.
Reference
CDC. Tuberculosis among Indochinese refugees. MMWR
1981;30:603-6.
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