I have recently heard of of a tuberculosis scare in the U.S.A. Myth or not?

Question

I have also heard that the strain is difficult to reverse. I live in Minnesota, and a cab driver told me of this. He said it was brought here by Somolian immigrants. He was livid.

Answer 1

Tb is a serious infection, one in three adults in the world has it. So that there might be some "Tb scare" in the US is laughable. Seriously, outbreaks occur sometimes as latent infections become activated. You should have acess to the antibiotics required to treat it.

The only thing you should be worried out is extreme drug resistant Tb (XDRTb or XTb). Now that is scary.

Even if a somalian did bring it, so what? Somalia sucks currently,and anyone, even you, could bring it back from a holiday etc.

Answer 2

Its FALSE, This is a direct clip for the Centers for Disease Control website. And I've provided the link as well.

"Many people think that tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of the past — an illness that no longer threatens us today. One reason for this belief is that, in the United States, we are currently experiencing a decline in TB. We are at an all-time low in the number of persons diagnosed with active TB disease.

That very success makes us vulnerable to complacency and neglect. But it also gives us an opportunity to eliminate TB in this country. Now is the time to take decisive actions, beyond our current efforts, that will ensure that we reach this attainable goal.


The Price of Neglect
In the 1970s and early 1980s, the nation let its guard down and TB control efforts were neglected. The country became complacent about TB, and many states and cities redirected TB prevention and control funds to other programs.

Consequently, the trend toward elimination was reversed and the nation experienced a resurgence of TB, with a 20% increase in TB cases reported between 1985 and 1992. Many of these were persons with difficult-to-treat drug-resistant TB.


Back on Track Toward TB Elimination
The nation’s mobilization of additional resources in the 1990s has paid off:

We are now at an all-time low in reported TB cases, with 13 consecutive years of decline.
In 2005, there were 14,097 persons with TB disease reported in the United States, declining from 14,515 cases in 2004.
However, the decline in the number of cases from 2004 to 2005 was 2.9% – one of the smallest declines in more than a decade."

Answer 3

TB happens to be on the rise again lately. In the US, it's driven by citizens that have less access and resource to healthcare, people who have immune suppression issues and perhaps to some degree, immigrants coming in from countries with under developed healthcare infrastructures. It doesn't matter what ethnicity-what matters is what the access to healthcare, overall, is like in the area. It has a socio-economic component even here in the United States.

Recently, here in Chicago, county clinic staff are being laid off and clinics and services are closing down. This will certainly help to drive the transmission of TB.

Answer 4

TB (short term) was almost non existent in this country. patients use to be quarantined, now, they just mingle with the population and spread the disease. Many diseases that were beaten such as polio, and others diseases have reappeared because of people entering this country without proper shots. This was not allowed years ago. They ( the government) should go back to that practice. But it's not politically correct, so you and me and our families and other Americans have to pay the price. I lived through the polio era of the early 50's I don't even think they give small pox inoculations anymore.

Answer 5

We might be in different countries but I believe on the same wave length at the moment.....just yesterday I was told that immigrants from some third world countries do not have to have a two or four hour medical before being let out of their country to come live here ...yet...when my family members moved to mainland China due to work commitments, they all underwent 4 hour medicals before leaving this country....IT WAS COMPULSORY..and the youngest was only a few months old !!!
why is this???....Australia lets nothing bad out, but accepts anything that may come into our country!!!....Surely there should be one rule...for everybody who is relocating overseas....in or out !!....( Not a racist at all...just a concerned True Blue Ozzy saying...WHAT THE)?????

Answer 6

I found a table http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/surv/surv2005/PDF/table1.pdf
However at the bottom it says they no longer included certain diseases they used to in 1953 then there was 85,000 cases and in 2005 there was 14,000 cases.
Only 662 deaths in 2005 (while in 1953 it was 19,000)most likely because they do have the medicine.. there was an increase in 2002 for some reason. It doesn't look like its on the rise according to that table.

Answer 7

myth, tb is very rare, but one case will pop up in a blue moon. maybe somolians have it cuz their health care sucks, american medicine ,for all it's problems is the best

Answer 8

1. Tuberculosis is on a comeback because of AIDS cases. their immuno-compromised state allows its proliferation

Answer 9

oh it is true