Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Public Health Programs and Services
Tuberculosis Control Program
1997 Fact Sheet
Tuberculosis Epidemiology Update

1. Worldwide, TB kills more youths and adults than any other infectious disease and kills more women than all other causes of maternal mortality combined. It is estimated that almost two billion people are infected with TB and that each year there are eight million new cases (including 170,000 in children). Tuberculosis kills an estimated three million individuals every year, including 100,000 children.¹
2. Nationally, the number of TB cases reported in the United States has declined for the fifth straight year. In 1997, TB cases declined 7% from 21,337 in 1996 to 19,855 in 1997. The number of TB cases in the State of California has also declined for the fifth straight year and declined 6% from 4,313 in 1996 to 4,059 in 1997.
3. In 1997, 1,347 cases of TB were confirmed in Los Angeles County, with a case rate of 14.9 cases per 100,000 population. This represents a 2% decrease in cases from 1996 (1,375 cases) and a 39% decrease since 1992 (2,198 cases). This is the fifth year of decline since the peak of 2,198 cases reported in 1992, the highest number reported in Los Angeles County in decades.
4. More males were reported with tuberculosis than females. In 1997, 858 (64%) cases were male and 489 (36%) cases were female. There was a corresponding higher case rate in males, with 19.0 cases per 100,000 population compared to 10.8 cases per 100,000 population in females.
5. The age group with the largest number of reported TB cases was the 15-34 year old age group with 361 cases (27%), followed by the 65 and older age group with 296 cases (22%) and the 35-44 year old age group with 253 cases (19%). The number of cases decreased in every age group except for a slight increase in the 15-34 and 55-64 year old age groups.
6. The racial/ethnic breakdown of TB cases reported in 1997 was as follows: 597 (44%) were Hispanic, 431 (32%) were Asian/Other, 187 (14%) were African-American and 132 (10%) were non-Hispanic Whites. The highest case rate was in the Asian/Other population with a rate of 36.0 per 100,000 population followed by African-Americans with a rate of 22.7 per 100,000 population.
7. Seventy-one percent of the 1997 cases were in the foreign-born population. This represents a 4% increase from 1996 (67%). Of the 963 foreign born, 350 (26%) were from Mexico, 166 (12%) were from the Philippines, 72 (5%) were from Vietnam, 69 (5%) were from South Korea and 50 (4%) were from China.
8. There were 115 (9%) homeless patients with TB reported in Los Angeles County in 1997. Of these, 102 (89%) were male. Forty-nine (43%) were Hispanic, 42 (37%) were African-American, 21 (18%) were non-Hispanic White and 3 (3%) were Asian/Other. Thirty-two percent of all homeless cases fell within the 35-44 year old age group, 25% were in the 45-54 year old age group and 19% were in the 15-34 year old age group.
9. There were 125 (9%) TB cases co-infected with HIV in 1997. Of these, 110 (88%) were male. Sixty-one (49%) were Hispanic, 38 (30%) were African-American, 23 (18%) were non-Hispanic White and 3 (2%) were Asian. Forty-four percent of TB cases co-infected with HIV were 35-44 years of age and 30% were between the ages of 15-34.

¹ World Health Organization. (1998). Global Tuberculosis Program Tuberculosis Fact Sheet. Retrieved March 11, 1998 from the World Wide Web: http:/www.who.ch/gtb/publications/factsheet/index.html