World TB Day 2022

March 24, 2022 – COVID-19 likely had a substantial effect on U.S. TB disease trends

Preliminary CDC data, released on World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, show that TB disease diagnoses fell 20% in 2020 and remained 13% lower in 2021 than pre-pandemic levels. These declines may be related to factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including a true reduction in incidence as well as delayed or missed TB diagnoses. For example, efforts to prevent COVID-19, widespread disruptions to healthcare, and similarities in symptoms between COVID-19 and TB. The data underscore the urgent need to ensure correct and timely diagnoses and focus on essential TB prevention and control activities to achieve TB elimination in the U.S.

Graphics:

These high-resolution, public domain images are ready to download and print in your publication. Click on a graphic to see it in high-resolution. For your convenience, we have included a table that contains the specific data from the report used to generate these charts. These images are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy, we ask that the content provider be credited and notified of any public or private usage of an image.

Tuberculosis Cases and Rates in the U.S., 1993-2021

The graphic shows a bar graph of TB cases and a line graph of TB rates in the U.S. from 1993 to 2020. TB cases ranged from 25,104 in 1993 to 7,860 in 2021. TB rates ranged from 9.7 in 1993 to 2.4 in 2021.

The graphic also shows a close-up of TB data from 2019 to 2021, which shows a decline of both cases and rates from 2019 to 2020, and an incline of cases and rates from 2020 to 2021.