County TB Rates Remain Among the Highest in the State; Congresswoman Lofgren, Community Coalition, Patient Advocates Call for Funding to Fight TB
San Jose, Calif. - Normally just one of many frontline defenders against TB in the community, the Foothill Family Community Clinic took center-stage Friday. In observance of World Stop TB Day, members of the Tuberculosis Prevention Partnership of Santa Clara County gathered outside the clinic to release the latest TB figures at a morning press conference. And with county health officials, elected leaders and representatives from local community-based organizations by their side, the partnership called upon policy makers to step up their commitment to fighting TB.
"It is imperative that we have the continued resources to eliminate TB in our area," said Margo Sidener, Executive Director of Breathe California and one of the partnership's co-chairs. "Every time TB control faces cutbacks, we see a resurgence of the disease. We need a strong commitment from policymakers to protect our communities from the tremendous public health threat posed by TB."
Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial lung disease which can remain latent in infected individuals for years. It is estimated that one out of every 10 Californians are currently infected with TB. Once contagious TB disease develops within a person, he/she will on average infect 10 more people. Although TB is completely curable, if left untreated TB can cause serious illness, and even death.
In 2005, Santa Clara County had 199 TB cases and a TB rate of 11.3 (per 100,000 individuals). Although this represents a two percent drop from the previous year, the county was home to the third-highest TB rate and fourth-highest number of cases in California. And despite the steady progress made in recent years, the county's rates remained well above the national and state rates of 4.8 and 7.9 respectively.
"Many people think of TB as something that we no longer have to worry about, but TB continues to threaten the health of our local communities," said Dr. Sara Cody, Deputy Health Officer for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. "That is why we are so fortunate to have a number of dedicated community groups in the Tuberculosis Prevention Partnership working with us in the fight against TB."
The Tuberculosis Prevention Partnership, co-chaired by Breathe California, Asian Americans for Community Involvement and the County Public Health Department, has brought together schools, businesses, clinics and ethnic groups to initiate a joint community-wide effort against TB. Since its founding in 1999, the have worked on a number of local projects seeking increase TB awareness and encourage TB testing throughout the community. Through this effort, the coalition has made great strides in fighting TB among at-risk populations, such as recent immigrants who account for 88 percent of TB cases locally. And with the support of legislators and other community leaders, the partnership hopes to continue its work to prevent, identify and treat new cases of TB.
"On World Stop TB Day, I would like to recognize the coordinated efforts in Santa Clara County to test for and treat TB," said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) who spoke at the event. "Because there is still a significant need to fight and eradicate TB in our area, I also pledge to ensure that the federal funding used to carry out these efforts continues to be readily available. To fail to fully fund the effort epitomizes the phrase 'penny wise, pound foolish."
Media Contact:
Dave Low
Director of Communications
Breathe California
408-998-5865
david@lungsrus.org