Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2015 Now Available

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released provisional 2015 surveillance data on reported tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States. The full report, entitled Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2015, is now available online.

Key findings:

• There were 9,557 TB cases reported in the United States in 2015, which represents a 1.6% increase from 2014.
• The overall annual TB incidence remained level at approximately 3.0 cases per 100,000.
• People born outside of the United States continue to bear the burden of TB, largely because of reactivation of latent TB infection that occurred in their country of origin.

The first increase in TB cases in the United States in 23 years underscores the need for more comprehensive public health approaches in TB prevention and control. Eliminating TB in the United States requires an expanded approach to test and treat latent TB infection, and strengthen existing systems to stop TB transmission.

CDC has developed a slide set, fact sheet, infographic, and web graphics with highlights from the surveillance report to support TB education and outreach to clinicians, health care agencies, and community organizations. 

Together, we can send a clear signal that TB can be eliminated in the United States with continued prevention and control efforts, along with targeted testing of high-risk populations. To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/tb, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter