(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-25 07:10

NEW YORK - The health department of New York City announced Monday, the World Tuberculosis Day, that TB reached another all-time low in the world metropolis in 2007.

A total of 914 cases were reported in 2007 -- a 4 percent decrease from 2006 and a 76 percent decrease from the high levels seen in the early 1990s, according to a press release emailed to Xinhua.

Despite this continuing progress, New York City's TB rate is still more than double the national rate (11.4 versus 4.4 cases per 100,000 people).

"We continued to make progress this past year, but many challenges remain -- especially among New York City's immigrant communities," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Health Commissioner of New York City.

"Tuberculosis can be prevented and cured and all care and treatment in our centers is free and given without any questions about immigration status," he said.

Immigrant New Yorkers accounted for 71 percent of new cases in 2007, with a rate of 24 cases per 100,000 people. The rate among New Yorkers born in the United States was 5.7 per 100,000.

Globally, TB remains a devastating problem, affecting more than 9 million people each year and killing about 1.5 million.

In New York City, two out of three TB cases occur among people born in countries with a high rate of TB, such as China, Mexico, and Ecuador -- a disparity that is seen throughout the nation. In recent years, TB control services have improved dramatically worldwide, where now more than 30 million people have been diagnosed and treated effectively.