March 24th, 2009
Says a press release issued yesterday by the PA Dept. of Health:
State Health Secretary Everette James today stressed the need to increase public awareness of tuberculosis, or TB, and the importance of efforts to control, and eventually eliminate, the infectious disease.
“In 2008, we saw an increase in the number of cases of tuberculosis and we are seeing more cases resistant to medication, which makes the disease more difficult and costly to treat,” said Secretary James. “We must continue to be diligent in our efforts to educate the public about this disease in order to prevent its spread.”
In Pennsylvania, the number of reported cases of tuberculosis grew from 318 in 2007 to 345 in 2008. Department statistics indicate 12 percent of those cases were resistant to at least one traditional tuberculosis treatment medication.
Despite last year’s increase, Pennsylvania’s TB case rate fell 23 percent from 1998 to 2008.
Read more about the PA Dept. of Health’s efforts against tuberculosis.
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