TB Incidence in U.S. Dropped Sharply in 2020

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by André Sofair, MD, MPH, and William E. Chavey, MD, MS

The incidence of tuberculosis in the United States dropped by an unexpected 20% between 2019 and 2020 — from 2.7 to 2.2 per 100,000 people — according to an analysis in MMWR.

For comparison, the incidence dropped roughly 2% to 3% each year between 2010 and 2019.

From 2019 to 2020, both U.S.-born and non-U.S. born people saw a drop in TB incidence. Among the U.S.-born, decreases were seen for all racial and ethnic groups except Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander.

The researchers note that reduced travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic — as well as COVID-19 mitigation measures — may have played a part in the reduced TB incidence. Of concern, missed or delayed TB diagnoses may also be a factor. They urge clinicians to "consider TB disease when evaluating patients with signs and symptoms consistent with TB (e.g., cough of >2 weeks in duration, unintentional weight loss, and hemoptysis), especially when diagnostic tests are negative for SARS-CoV-2."