Tuberculosis Control Program

Contact Information
Los Angeles County
Department of Public Health
Tuberculosis Control Program
5555 Ferguson Drive,
Commerce, CA 90007
Phone: (213) 745-0800
*The phones may not be working properly, if are experiencing difficulties, call (213) 745-0811*
Fax: (213) 749-0926
Email: tbc@ph.lacounty.gov

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Tuberculosis Control Program

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Public Health Programs and Services
Tuberculosis Control Program
1998 Fact Sheet
Tuberculosis Epidemiology Update

  1. Tuberculosis kills more youth and adults than any other infectious disease in the world today. It is a bigger killer than malaria and AIDS combined and kills more women than all the combined causes of maternal mortality. It kills 100,000 children each year. It is estimated that between now and the year 2020, nearly one billion more people will be newly infected, 200 million people will get sick, and 70 million will die from TB - if control is not strengthened.1
  2. In 1998, 18, 371 TB cases were reported in the United States. This represents a decrease of 7% from the number of TB cases reported in 1997 (19,851 TB cases) and a decrease of 31% over the past six years (nationally, 26,673 cases of TB were reported in 1992).2
  3. State-wide, the number of TB cases in California has declined for the sixth straight year. In 1998, 3,855 TB cases were reported, a decline of 5% from the 4,059 cases reported in 1997. Individuals born outside of the United States comprised 70% of the State caseload. 3
  4. The number of reported TB cases in Los Angeles County (LAC) has also declined for the sixth straight year. In 1998, 1,299 cases of TB were confirmed in LAC. This represents a 3.6% decrease from 1997 (1,347 cases) and a 41% decrease since 1992. The 2,198 cases reported in 1992 was the highest reported in LAC in decades.
  5. More males were reported with tuberculosis than females; in 1998, 831 (64%) cases in LAC were male and 468 (36%) cases were female.
  6. The age group with the largest number of reported TB cases in LAC was the 15 to 34 year age group (345 cases, 27%), followed by the 65 and older age group (289 cases, 22%) and the 45 to 54 year old age group (229 cases, 18%).
  7. The racial/ethnic breakdown of LAC TB cases reported in 1998 was as follows: 560 (43%) were Hispanic, 428 (33%) were Asian, 172 (13%) were African American, and 132 (10%) were non-Hispanic whites; 7 (<1%) identified their race as other than those categories listed above.
  8. TB cases born outside the United States comprised 72% of the 1998 cases. Of the 935 foreign-born cases reported in 1998, 332 (35%) were from Mexico, 152 (16%) were from the Philippines, 74 (8%) were from Vietnam, 72 (8%) were from South Korea, and 51 (5%) were from China, 44 (5%) were from El Salvador, and 35 (4%) were from Guatemala.
  9. There were 103 (8%) homeless patients with TB reported in LAC in 1998. Of these, 48 (47%) were Hispanic, 32 (30%) were African American, 14 (14%) were White, and 9 (9%) were Asian/Other. Thirty-three percent of homeless TB cases were 45-54 years old; 33% were 35-44 years old.
  10. There were 115 (9%) TB cases co-infected with HIV reported in LAC in 1998. Of these, 64 (56%) were Hispanic, 32 (28%) were African American, 14 (12%) were White, and 5 (4%) were Asian/Other. Forty-six percent of TB cases co-infected with HIV were 15-34 years of age; 31% were between the ages of 35-44.
  11. In 1998, 40 cases of TB were reported among children under five years of age. This represents a 20% decrease over 1997 (50 cases). TB in children of this age is of concern because it suggests ongoing transmission of infection from adult cases.

1. Tuberculosis Fact Sheet; WHO Tuberculosis site, http://www.who.int/gtb/publications/factsheet/index.htm

2. Surveillance and Epidemiology Branch, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, National Center for HIV, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

3. Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, Tuberculosis Control Branch, Division of Communicable Disease Control, California Department of Health Services


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