“I really liked camp because it taught me a lot about my asthma. At the camp I learned how to breathe better when I run. Now I can run farther without getting tired. Before the camp I would wheeze at night and it was hard to sleep. Now I sleep better.”

Luis De La Torre,
Asthma Camper,
San Jose

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For Immediate Release
March 13, 2008

TB Cases Rise in Santa Clara County for 2nd Year in a Row

Coalition calls for a renewed commitment to fight TB as the public health department announces another increase in active TB case

San Jose, Calif. – Santa Clara County saw a 4.7 percent rise in active tuberculosis (TB) cases during 2007, marking the second consecutive year in which the number of TB cases increased. Over the past two years, the county has experienced a 21 percent increase in active cases, highlighting the ever-present threat posed by TB.

“For the first time since 1996, we’ve seen a rise in active TB cases in back-to-back years,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Marty Fenstersheib, MD, MPH. “It is critical that we identify and treat individuals with a latent form of TB before they develop symptoms and spread the disease to others.”

Tuberculosis is a bacterial lung disease that can remain dormant in infected individuals for years. However, once an individual develops active TB disease, he/she can become very ill and extremely contagious. Symptoms of active TB disease include: fever, coughing, fatigue, weight loss and coughing up blood. Although TB is typically curable, it can take six months or longer to effectively treat. If a case of active TB is drug-resistant or left untreated, it can be deadly.

In 2007, Santa Clara County had 241 active TB cases and a rate of 13.4 (per 100,000), both of which ranked third in the state. The rise in local TB cases – along with increases in many other Bay Area counties – was in stark contrast to an overall drop in the state’s TB rate. In addition, the county saw seven new cases of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB in 2007, pressing local health advocates to call for a renewed commitment to fight the TB resurgence.

“Every time we see public health funding decrease, our local TB rates climb back up,” said Margo Sidener, CEO of Breathe California of the Bay Area and co-chair of the Santa Clara County TB Prevention Partnership. “We must provide out local health agencies with the necessary resources to ensure that TB does not become the next public health crisis.”

Added fellow partnership co-chair Michelle Lew, CEO of Asian Americans for Community Involvement, “TB is not just a disease that affects people in far away countries – it affects us right here at home. Unless we invest in public health, education, and prevention, we’ll continue to see increases here in Santa Clara County.”

The TB Prevention Partnership encourages individuals to take a TB skin test, especially when returning from a country with high TB rates. Even those who are diagnosed with a dormant form of TB should undergo treatment. Approximately 1 in 10 individuals with latent TB are likely to become ill and contagious in the future, while those with diabetes, HIV or other illnesses have an even greater chance of developing active TB. The group is also advocating Congress to adopt the Stop TB Now Act and the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act, while urging California lawmakers to resist cutting the budget for TB control.

The Santa Clara County TB Prevention Partnership is co-chaired by Breathe California of the Bay Area, Asian Americans for Community Involvement and the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Since 1999, the coalition has utilized prevention, education and advocacy as part of a community-wide effort to fight the impact of TB.

Media Contact: Dave Low
(408) 998-5865, david@lungsrus.org