Tuberculosis is rising in the U.S. again. How did we get here?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/us-tuberculosis-tb-rates-rising

25 44 2 years ago

My brother-in-law in the Philippines died from it in 2021. My own brother nearly died from it in the 1950's, was treated for 2 years. Our dad worked 2 FT jobs for years to pay the medical bills. He later suffered from 2 heart attacks but made it through thank God.

shrubble2• 2 years ago

The Philippines has "XDR TB" as well, the extremely drug resistant form. It is sometimes found in a different part of the lung (higher up) and thus not every radiologist will catch it, either.

irunmyownemail2• 2 years ago

I wasn't aware of that detail, thank you.

workingdog• 2 years ago

TB was basicallty gone from the US.

Until we accepted millions of unscreened people from outside the US where TB was more common.

badgersnake2• 2 years ago

People travel, and being sick does not stop them. Testing does not always stop them. We learned this from the rapid spread of Covid across the globe.

Unless you plan to lockdown the country entirely, preventing people traveling is not an effective approach.

zpeti• 2 years ago

Ah yes. People didn’t travel before 2020, and that’s why we didn’t have TB back then.

Dig1t• 2 years ago

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2746906/#:~:text=Mo....

Most tuberculosis (TB) cases in the US are diagnosed in foreign-born persons, and undocumented foreign-born may face particular barriers to timely access to health services.

shrubble2• 2 years ago

It's not "people traveling" as this phrase is commonly understood, that is the issue; it's "relocation of 5% of a small country's population (Nicaragua for example) into the USA".

jvanderbot• 2 years ago

When leaving the USA, getting TB vaccine is highly recommended and (at least in my experience) free and easy. I think it's fairly clear GP meant folks coming into the USA, and not for short periods, from areas that are not able to supply vaccines regularly.

This very well might be an issue. UNICEF and other aid organizations work dilligently to eradicate TB and other poverty-adjacent diseases, so perhaps individuals and the US Gov should increase their aid to other nations.

BirAdam2• 2 years ago

Eh. My mother had TB as a kid and lost her childhood best friend to it. Homegrown Americans in a rather pale area.

HarryHirsch• 2 years ago

TB is a disease of poverty, it doesn't spread that easily, but the risk goes up for people in overcrowded living situations and for those who are chronically malnourished.

It's not a great surprise that one would find TB in cross-border migrants, but it's an indictment of the system that the disease continues to spread over here.

Next up: lepra, also caused by a mycobacterium

zabzonk2• 2 years ago

lepra, also caused by a mycobacterium

yup, and also due to those pesky immigrants!

oh, but wait! it is actually endemic among native armadillos (USA) and native red squirrels (UK) - you almost never see a red squirrel in the UK, so don't worry.

082349872349872• 2 years ago

If that were true, other countries would have the same experience.

We have ~20% immigrant population, yet TB cases have been decreasing since at least 2016. (rates since at least 2009?)

Why do you think your hypothesis would be stronger than TFA's?

tzs• 2 years ago

Here are number of TB cases in the US and rate/100k from 1953 through 2023. I don't see any time in there were it was basically gone.

  year  cases  rate/100k
  2023  9615     2.9
  2022  8331     2.5
  2021  7870     2.4
  2020  7171     2.2
  2019  8895     2.7
  2018  8997     2.8
  2017  9069     2.8
  2016  9239     2.9
  2015  9538     3.0
  2014  9381     2.9
  2013  9513     3.0
  2012  9906     3.2
  2011  10471    3.4
  2010  11069    3.6
  2009  11491    3.7
  2008  12943    4.3
  2007  13276    4.4
  2006  13720    4.6
  2005  14053    4.8
  2004  14498    5.0
  2003  14835    5.1
  2002  15054    5.2
  2001  15946    5.6
  2000  16309    5.8
  1999  17494    6.3
  1998  18288    6.6
  1997  19753    7.2
  1996  21212    7.9
  1995  22727    8.5
  1994  24207    9.2
  1993  25105    9.7
  1992  26673   10.4
  1991  26283   10.4
  1990  25701   10.3
  1989  23495    9.5
  1988  22436    9.2
  1987  22517    9.3
  1986  22768    9.5
  1985  22201    9.3
  1984  22255    9.4
  1983  23846   10.2
  1982  25520   11.0
  1981  27373   11.9
  1980  27749   12.2
  1979  27669   12.3
  1978  28521   12.8
  1977  30145   13.7
  1976  32105   14.7
  1975  33989   15.7
  1974  30122   14.1
  1973  30998   14.6
  1972  32882   15.7
  1971  35217   17.0
  1970  37137   18.1
  1969  39120   19.3
  1968  42623   21.2
  1967  45647   23.0
  1966  47767   24.3
  1965  49016   25.2
  1964  50874   26.5
  1963  54042   28.6
  1962  53315   28.6
  1961  53726   29.2
  1960  55494   30.7
  1959  57535   32.4
  1958  63534   36.3
  1957  67149   39.0
  1956  69895   41.4
  1955  77368   46.6
  1954  79775   48.9
  1953  84304   52.6

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/statistics/reports/2022/table1.htm for 1953 through 2022. 2023 added from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7312a4.htm

hatenberg• 2 years ago

We all know how we got there. Trust in everything has been destroyed including life saving treatments, vaccinations and working interventions.

zabzonk2• 2 years ago

TB is difficult to diagnose - the bacteria grow slowly, and thus do severity of symptoms. And it is difficult to treat - the bacteria wrap themselves in a waxy sheath, which stops the drugs getting through so they have to be taken over a long period, and the drugs have unpleasant side effects, so people don't like taking the long courses. It's spread by people living in close proximity for quite long periods, such as may be the result of living in poverty.

This all makes it very difficult/impossible to eradicate.

Speaking as an ex TB lab technician, but not for a long time past.

hoistbypetard• 2 years ago

https://archive.ph/fZ3VE

claaams• 2 years ago

Its cool that so many people are blaming immigrants and foreign policy and border policy instead of the lack of accessibility to healthcare and affordable treatments or accessibility to preventative care.

We truly are in the fuck you and it’s your fault I don’t have mine era.

readthenotes1• 2 years ago

https://www.newsweek.com/illegal-immigrant-tuberculosis-loui...

It's easier to blame people for being incredibly irresponsible when we have an example of them doing so.

simonsarris• 2 years ago

The US spends more on public healthcare per capita than any nation on the planet. (We also spend a lot more privately). I think this is a very and incorrect point of blame that has no basis in reality.

bestouff• 2 years ago

Are you sure the US isn't just spending a lot on a private healthcare predatory system, not healthcare per se ?

maxerickson• 2 years ago

Your "this" is obscure. Do you mean it to address the parent's comment about affordable treatments?

lottin6• 2 years ago

The US taxpayer should not be paying for immigrants' healthcare expenses.

saturn_vk2• 2 years ago

This is a dumb statement. Immigrants pay taxes as well

kurthr• 2 years ago

Us natural born citizens need the freedom to spread TB, if we want to! https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/washington-woman-...

drewcoo• 2 years ago

We truly are in the fuck you and it’s your fault I don’t have mine era

Yes, but please don't blame people for feeling that way. People don't feel safe.

When people are insecure, they look to authoritarians for simple solutions. And both major political parties are happy to oblige.

When people are secure, they can care more about other people and issues beyond themselves. But they have to feel safe first. Unfortunately, lack of safety is something people can campaign on and campaigning on "things are good enough already" just never works - even when it's true.

We are in an era where we keep giving up more and more of our civil rights for a promised safety that is never delivered.

sebazzz• 2 years ago

Lately, I often think about that drawing where three people are at a table. A blue-collar worker (mine worker or construction worker), a black sad looking black person (immigrant), and a rich guy in suit.

The blue collar worker has a single cookie on his plate, the immigrant no cookies at all, and the rich guy a plate full of cookies. The rich guy with his plate full of cookies, looking at the worker, points to the immigrant. “He wants your cookie”.

BirAdam2• 2 years ago

I’d think the answer here is rather simple… Americans are extremely unhealthy, eat garbage, don’t get sun or exercise, don’t sleep enough, and therefore have weakened immune systems. The last of those appears to be a rather significant indicator for immune health btw, so make sure you’re sleeping enough.

OutOfHere• 2 years ago

It is true that sufficient exercise can boost the immune system to where it can fight off a chesty invasion within a few hours, but the level of exercise required for a sufficient effect is intense exercise daily, not just moderate exercise, but also without going overboard to the point where it is a detriment. And yes, I agree about the other factors, but they're insufficient without intense exercise.

fithisux• 2 years ago

Stay safe!

twright• 2 years ago

This is an article from May 2024 about a CDC report published in March. The report itself is more insightful: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7312a4.htm

jmclnx• 2 years ago

Simple:

1. CDC Funding Cuts

2. antibiotic resistance and not profitable to look for other "cures".

3. Poor Health Care Insurance in the US. People do not want to go to the Doctor for fear of the bill.

4. Anti-science trend in the US. The last election seemed to prove it is approaching 50%

turkey99• 2 years ago

What about vaccines? In the UK we all have a scar from BCG vaccine

badgersnake2• 2 years ago

Its not given routinely anymore in the UK, since the likelihood of infection is so low. If you’re at higher risk you can still get it.

https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/bcg-vaccine-for-tuberculosis...

uslic001• 2 years ago

Legal immigrants are screened for TB if they are from high risk countries. The illegal immigrants don't get screened and are the sole cause of the explosion of TB cases in the US. Stop putting your head in the sand.

Tuberculosis is rising in the U.S. again. How did we get here?

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