2010 TB Statistical Highlights

The State of Kansas has had an annual rate of Tuberculosis (TB) averaging less than 3.0 per 100,000 making it a low morbidity state for many years. In 2010, Kansas reported the lowest case count in the history of reporting TB with a total of 46 cases of active tuberculosis. This translates to a rate of 1.63 per 100,000. The rate of TB in US born in Kansas dropped to .75 per 100,000, below the goal of 1 per 100,000 for the first time.

Of the 46 TB cases reported statewide in 2010, 26 were among males and 20 were among females. Twelve cases were among black, non-Hispanics (6 U.S. Born/ 6 Foreign Born); 14 were among Asians, non-Hispanics; 8 were among whites, non-Hispanic and 1 was among American Indian, non-Hispanics. Eleven cases were among white Hispanic, a rate of 4.5 per 100,000, the lowest in recent calculations. Of the twelve black cases, six were among US born people and six were non US born. This translate to a rate of 3.82 for US born black, while still higher than the overall rate, the disparity gap has continued to decrease over time.

The percentage of cases of TB in the foreign born population dropped slightly in 2010 (56.52% as compared to the average of around 65% in recent years. Because of the continuing low numbers of cases in Kansas, percentages of this nature are unstable and difficult to place significance on such changes. Twenty-six (26) of forty-six (46) cases of active disease in Kansas were diagnosed in foreign-born individuals in 2010. This translates to a rate of 15.70 per 100,000, more than 20 times the rate among US born in Kansas.

In 2010 twenty-seven (58.7%) of all cases were diagnosed in individuals between the ages of twenty-five (25) and sixty-four (64), generally considered the ages when the most productive wage earning happens. Of these, 17 were non-US born individuals.

Of those who were born in the US, the largest segments were between the ages of 25 and 44 (7 cases or 35% of US born cases) and over age 64 (6 cases or 30% of US born cases. All of the US born under the age of 24 were of non-US born parents.

While 30 of the 46 (65%) diagnosed cases were pulmonary (disease located in the lungs), only 37% of all cases every appeared to be infectious by laboratory results.