Tuberculosis--where do we stand in 2003?

The decrease in TB case numbers over the past few years has been significant, and clearly there is not a current TB epidemic in the U.S. There are still problems with TB in other countries, but the plans for expanding the U.S. approach to these countries should be very beneficial. It is important to remember that TB is a cyclic disease and has been throughout history. Case numbers have gone up for various reasons about every 30 years. Perhaps the CDC goal to eliminate TB in the U.S. by 2010 will be attainable if we follow current guidelines and assist other countries in bringing this disease under control.