Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
Tuberculosis Control Program
2001 Epidemiology Fact Sheet
Asian/Pacific Islander Tuberculosis Cases

1. In the United States, in the year 2000, 3,451 TB cases were reported in Asian/Pacific Islanders representing 21.1% of the total 16,377 TB cases in the nation. The incidence rate of tuberculosis in Asian/Pacific Islanders was higher than in any other racial/ethnic group (32.1 cases per 100,000). The incidence was two times the rate of African Americans (15.1), almost three times the rate of Hispanics (11.5), and 17.8 times the rate of Whites (1.8). ¹
2. In California, in the year 2001, 1,399 TB cases were reported in Asian/Pacific Islanders representing 42% of the total 3,332 cases in the state. This represented a 2% (32 cases) increase compared to 2000 (1,367). ²
3. In 2001, there were 1,046 TB cases in Los Angeles County (LAC). Of these, 372 cases were Asian/Pacific Islander TB cases representing 35.6% of the total TB cases in LAC. The number of TB cases in Asian/Pacific Islanders has increased since 1999 (355, 30.3%). 3 Among the TB cases in LAC, Asian/Pacific Islanders were the second leading racial/ethnic group after Hispanics (489 cases, 46.7%).
4. In 2001, of the 372 Asian/Pacific Islander TB cases, 216 (58.1%) were male and 156 (41.9%) were female.
5. The largest number of Asian/Pacific Islander TB cases were found in the 65 years and older age group with 111 cases (29.8%), followed by the 55-64 year old age group with 70 cases (18.9%), the 15-34 year old age group with 69 cases (18.6%), the 35-44 year old age group with 58 cases (15.6%), the 45-54 year old age group with 58 cases (15.6%), the 5-14 year old age group with 4 cases (1.1%), and the 0-4 year old age group with 2 (0.5%) cases.
6. Of 372 Asians/ Pacific Islander TB cases, almost all were foreign-born 362 (97.3%). Most, 148 (39.8%), were born in the Philippines, 56 (15.1%) in China, 55 (14.8%) in South Korea, 51 (13.7%) in Vietnam, and 14 (3.8%) in India.
7. In 2001, 5 (1.3%) TB cases were co-infected with HIV among the 372 Asian/Pacific Islander TB cases.
8. In 2001, there were 5 (1.3%) homeless TB cases among the 372 Asian/Pacific Islander TB cases. All 5 cases were foreign-born males.
9. Three hundred and thirteen cases (84.1%) were diagnosed as pulmonary TB, and 59 (15.9%) as extra-pulmonary TB only.

¹ CDC. Reported Tuberculosis in The United States, 2000

² California Health and Human Services Agency: Report on Tuberculosis in California, 2001.

³ Epidemiology Services, TB Control Program, Department of Health and Services, Los Angeles County. Tuberculosis Epidemiology Assessment (TEAM) Report 2001; Volume 2002.