Persistent Disparities Seen by Race/Ethnicity in Incidence of TB

TUESDAY, April 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Persistent disparities by race/ethnicity are seen in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB), according to a study published online April 2 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Yunfei Li, Sc.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues quantified trends in racial/ethnic disparities in TB incidence among U.S.-born persons in a time series analysis of national TB registry data for 2011 to 2021.

The researchers found that compared with non-Hispanic White persons, the incidence rate ratios were as high as 14.2 among American Indian or Alaska Native females in an analysis of TB incidence rates for each racial/ethnic population. Females, younger persons, and those with TB attributed to recent transmission had greater relative disparities. Males had greater absolute disparities. In 2011 to 2021, excess TB cases represented 69 and 62 percent of total cases for females and males, respectively. The investigators found no evidence to suggest a reduction in incidence rate ratios over time; small, statistically nonsignificant increases were seen in most relative disparity measures.

“Reducing barriers to TB prevention activities and ensuring that all persons have access to affordable and effective TB services are essential for accelerating progress toward population-level TB elimination,” the authors write. “Public health action to address disparities requires the collection of evidence to determine the causes of these disparities and the efficiency of interventions to close them.”

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