TB not so uncommon these days
A reader called to say that someone in Redwood Valley had been disagnosed with tuberculosis and thought that was newsworthy. I thought so too since it's one of those diseases you think is hardly ever seen these days. Turns out that's not strictly true. I called the county health department and got the the following information from public information officer Jacqueline Cummins:
"Tuberculosis is a common disease around the world. The levels in the United States have dropped however, it has not been eradicated. California has the highest numbers of TB in the country much in part because it is a point of entry for immigration. TB is a mandated reportable disease to Public Health so anytime a doctor suspects TB the doctor must report the suspicion. If a person tests positive to have active TB then the antibiotic therapy treatment last 6 to 12 months and is monitored for 12 months after the treatment is over to make sure the disease is no longer present. Public Health Branch commonly treats one or two active cases a year in Mendocino County. Public Health Branch is unable to talk about any specific cases due to client confidentiality. There is a lot of information about TB. The Mayo Clinic has a good description of TB at www.mayoclinic.com/print/tuberculosis/"
Further she supplied these figures:
In 2006 Public Health Branch treated 4 cases of active TB.
For 2007 3 persons have been diagnosed for active tuberculosis and are receiving treatment.
1995 – 2002 total of 13 active cases of TB for an average of 2 per year
2003 6 active cases
2004 0 active cases
2005 2 active cases
This information is available online at the County of Mendocino Public Health Branch website. It is located in the Community Health Status Report, www.co.mendocino.ca.us/ph/chsr.htm