MMWR Media Summary

Tuberculosis – United States, 2020

The number of TB disease cases in the U.S. has fallen steadily since 1993, due to the ability of TB programs to detect, treat, and prevent TB disease. Provisional data show a 20% reduction in the number of reported cases of TB in the United States in 2020 (7,163 cases) compared with 2019 (8,909 cases). While COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts and reduced travel might have contributed to the decline, the size of the decrease across different groups raises concerns about missed or delayed TB disease diagnoses. CDC encourages healthcare providers to consider TB disease when evaluating patients with signs and symptoms consistent with TB disease, especially when SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests are negative. People with signs and symptoms of TB disease (e.g. cough, fever, night sweats, and weight loss) should seek medical care.

###

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon