Tennessee Department of Health Recognizes World TB Day

March 24 is World TB Day and the Tennessee Department of Health wants to raise awareness and knowledge about tuberculosis (TB) in Tennessee. A disease that kills approximately two million people worldwide every year, TB remains a significant public health concern in the United States and in Tennessee.

“Considering the TB disparity among minority populations in our state, it is critical that this treatable, curable and preventable disease be recognized as a public health concern among these communities,” said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN.  “Those who are at high risk for TB must get tested to prevent further spread of this infectious disease.”

Approximately 14,000 people develop active TB each year in the U.S., including 279 active TB cases in Tennessee last year. Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for two-thirds of Tennessee’s TB cases, 46 percent of which were in black non-Hispanic populations. Non-Hispanic blacks were six times more likely to have TB disease than non-Hispanic whites. 

“Several factors contribute to the high burden of TB in minority populations, such as being born in a country where TB is common and an unequal distribution of TB risk factors, particularly HIV infection,” said State TB Control Officer Jon Warkentin, M.D. 

TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, kidneys or spine. Symptoms of TB present in lungs may include a persistent cough for three or more weeks, chest pain and coughing up blood. Other general symptoms of active TB include loss of appetite, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. If active TB is not treated quickly and appropriately, the disease can be fatal.

The Tennessee Department of Health recommends that individuals who are at high risk for TB have a skin test to find out if they have a TB infection. Persons at high risk for TB include individuals born in countries that have high rates of TB, those with HIV infection and AIDS, those who have close interactions with TB-infected persons, homeless persons, people who have spent time in jail or prison, and intravenous drug users. Local health departments across the state offer free and confidential testing, as well as treatment.

“If TB cases are not treated appropriately, drug resistance will emerge, causing treatments to become more difficult or impossible to achieve,” Warkentin said. “Limited access to healthcare services, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence of multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB are contributing to the worsening worldwide impact of this disease.”

In 1993, the World Health Organization declared TB a global public health emergency. The World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership estimate that two billion people, equal to one-third of the world’s population, are infected with the TB germ.  In 2005, there were 8.8 million new TB cases reported worldwide. More than 1.5 million people died from TB in 2005, equal to an estimated 4,400 deaths a day. In 1882, Robert Koch, M.D., announced the discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus. A century after Koch’s announcement, the first World TB Day was sponsored by the World Health Organization and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, intended to educate the public about the devastating health and economic consequences of TB, its effect on developing countries and its continued tragic impact on global health.

To learn more about TB in Tennessee, visit the Department of Health’s Web site at http://www2.state.tn.us/health/CEDS/TB/index.htm. A list of local health departments that offer TB testing and treatment is available at http://www2.state.tn.us/health/LocalDepts/index.html.