Is Tuberculosis our new challenge?

Tuberculosis Is Coming Back. Tuberculosis is a disease that was until recently on the way out. During the last 20 years, overuse of antibiotics has helped to create drug-resistant strains of the bacterium that have turned tuberculosis from a Victorian-era disease that was often romanticized into something that needs to be feared and respected once again. More than 50 percent of TB cases are concentrated in four states: Florida, New York, Texas and Florida. They are the main entry points for immigrants. As of 2013, more than 64 percent of TB cases were diagnosed in foreign-born individuals who had come to the United States. Since a standard case of TB often costs around $17,000 to treat, many people who don¿t have access to health care or insurance often go untreated, spreading the disease to anyone that they may come into contact with. The current immigration polices both in the U.S., in Europe and in areas like London do not allow for the screening and/or treatment of potentially infected individuals. Individuals who carry TB but are not able to be examined are carrying a disease that was nearly eradicated in many countries into fresh breeding grounds.