Tuberculosis in the 1990s

The steady decline in tuberculosis case rate reversed in the mid-1980s, and tuberculosis cases have increased dramatically since that time. Important factors contributing to this increase are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and tuberculosis occurring in foreign-born persons. Tuberculosis outbreaks have occurred in HIV clinics and wards, prisons, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and health care facilities. Some of the outbreaks have involved strains of tuberculosis resistant to multiple antituberculosis drugs. Recent recommendations for initial therapy of tuberculosis include the use of four drugs and directly observed therapy in an effort to prevent the emergence of further drug resistance.