Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Public Health Programs and Services
Tuberculosis Control Program
1996 Fact Sheet
Tuberculosis Epidemiology Update

1. Worldwide, TB is the leading infectious killer of youth and adults. Almost two billion people (one third of the world) are infected with TB. Each year there are eight million new cases of TB (including 170,000 children) and three million TB deaths.¹
2. Nationally, the number of TB cases in the United States has declined for the fourth straight year. In 1996, TB cases declined nearly 7% from 22,860 cases in 1995 to 21,327. Of these, 7,738 TB cases (37%) were diagnosed among individuals born outside of the United States.¹
3. In 1996, 1,375 cases of TB were confirmed in LAC. This represents a 15% decrease from 1995 (1,622 cases) and a 37% decrease since 1992. The 2,198 cases reported in 1992 was the highest reported in LAC in decades.
4. More males were reported with tuberculosis than females; in 1996, 905 (66%) cases in LAC were male and 470 (34%) cases were female.
5. The age group with the largest number of reported TB cases in LAC was the 15 to 34 year age group (343 cases, 25%), followed by the 65 and older age group (307 cases, 22%) and the 35 to 44 year old age group (270 cases, 20%).
6. The racial/ethnic breakdown of LAC TB cases reported in 1996 was as follows: 619 (45%) were Hispanic, 377 (27%) were Asian, 227 (17%) were African American, and 148 (11%) were non-Hispanic whites.
7. TB cases born outside the United States comprised 67% of the 1996 cases. Of the 928 foreign-born cases reported in 1996, 351 (38%) were from Mexico, 149 (16%) were from the Philippines, 65 (7%) were from South Korea, 63 (7%) were from Vietnam, and 40 (4%) were from Guatemala.
8. There were 127 (9%) homeless patients with TB reported in LAC in 1996. Of these, 63 (50%) were African American, 42 (33%) were Hispanic, and 21 (17%) were White. Thirty-five percent of homeless TB cases were 35-44 years old; 30% were 45-54 years old.
9. There were 137 (10%) TB cases co-infected with HIV reported in LAC in 1996. Of these, 66 (48%) were Hispanic, 44 (32%) were African American, 21 (15%) were White, and 6 (4%) were Asian. Forty-one percent of TB cases co-infected with HIV were 35-44 years of age; 31% were between the ages of 15-34.
10. In 1996, 51 cases of TB were reported among children under five years of age. This represents a 36% decrease over 1995 (80 cases). TB in children of this age is of concern because it suggests ongoing transmission of infection from adult cases.

¹. HHS News, March 24, 1997; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.