Key points
- Anyone can get tuberculosis (TB), but some groups have a higher risk for TB than others.
- TB continues to affect Asian persons at a higher rate than other groups.
- Several factors contribute to the higher rates of TB among Asian persons.
Health disparities
In the United States, TB adversely affects groups that have historically experienced greater obstacles to health, including Asian persons. Several important factors contribute to the higher rates of TB among some Asian persons.
TB disease affects Asian persons more than others.
In 2023, TB disease was reported among 2,887 non-Hispanic Asian persons in the United States. This accounts for 30.0% of all people reported with TB nationally.
Keep Reading:
Tuberculosis Risk Factors
What CDC is doing
Achieving equity by addressing disparities
The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP) developed an Equity Initiative to optimize synergies between the Center's existing equity activities, and to support the identification of additional strategic opportunities to embed equity into the fabric of NCHHSTP's workplace operations and public health programs.
To eliminate TB health disparities among Asian persons, CDC:
- Promotes the Think. Test. Treat TB. campaign to reach people most at risk for inactive TB, also known as latent TB infection, and their health care providers to encourage TB testing and treatment.
- The Think. Test. Treat TB. campaign is the first national multilingual communications campaign to increase testing for inactive TB.
- The Think. Test. Treat TB. campaign is the first national multilingual communications campaign to increase testing for inactive TB.
- Highlights the personal stories of people who were diagnosed and treated for TB, as well as the work of TB control professionals.
- Leads community engagement and outreach in communities at increased risk for TB, including Asian communities, through organizations such as the TB Elimination Alliance to increase knowledge, testing, and treatment of TB.
- Develops culturally and linguistically appropriate patient education materials with Asian communities, such as the Questions and Answers About Tuberculosis Booklet, which is available in multiple languages.
- Shares patient education materials for Asian communities through platforms like Find TB Resources.
- Compiles national reports of TB cases and TB case rates by gender, race and ethnicity, risk factors, and geographic location.
- Continues the work of two CDC research consortiums to examine more effective TB treatment options and study the risks for TB among persons with certain medical conditions.
- Engages health care providers to ensure they know about the latest TB diagnostics and treatment options available.
- Collaborates with national and international public health organizations to improve TB screening of immigrants and refugees and test recent arrivals from countries with high rates of TB disease.
Resources
TB Elimination Alliance is a national partnership of community leaders dedicated to TB elimination.
Think. Test. Treat TB aims to increase awareness and understanding about inactive tuberculosis.
Find information about how these diseases affect Asian populations.
NCHHSTP's Equity Initiative's workplace culture, policies, and systems address health disparities.
Learn more about CureTB and access referral forms.
Materials are available free of charge for order via CDC-Info On Demand Publications (see ordering instructions).