1979 — Tuberculosis, US death rate 0.89 per 100K, esp. DC/2.7, KY/1.7, MS/1.6 –2,007

–2,007  CDC Wonder. Compressed Mortality File, 1979-1998. ICD-9[1] code 010-018.

Alabama                       54      1.39     (Yellow highlighting denotes above average death rate.)

Alaska                            4      0.99

Arizona                         29      1.10     US population size: 224,850,874

Arkansas                       34      1.50

California                   177      0.76

Colorado                       14      0.49

Connecticut                  12      0.39

Delaware                         7      1.17

District of Columbia    18      2.74

Florida                                    126      1.33

Georgia                        58      1.07

Hawaii                            9      0.94

Idaho                               2      0.21

Illinois                        110      0.96

Indiana                                      47      0.86

Iowa                                8      0.27

Kansas                          14      0.60

Kentucky                      63      1.73

Louisiana                      59      1.42

Maine                              6      0.53

Maryland                      31      0.73

Massachusetts              28      0.49

Michigan                      61      0.66

Minnesota                     13      0.32

Mississippi                   41      1.63

Missouri                       40      0.82

Montana                          5      0.63                 Rhode Island                   6      0.63

Nebraska                         5      0.32                 South Carolina              45      1.46

Nevada                            5      0.65                 South Dakota                  4      0.58

New Hampshire              6      0.66                 Tennessee                     61      1.34

New Jersey                   61      0.83                 Texas                          107      0.77

New Mexico                 18      1.40                 Utah                                2      0.14

New York                   175      0.99                 Vermont                          4      0.79

North Carolina              69      1.19                 Virginia                        44      0.83

North Dakota                  4      0.61                 Washington                  18      0.45

Ohio                              86      0.80                 West Virginia               29      1.49

Oklahoma                     29      0.98                 Wisconsin                     28      0.60

Oregon                                      13      0.50                 Wyoming                        1      0.22

Pennsylvania              112      0.94

 

Narrative Information

 

Tuberculosis: “Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection (LTBI) and TB disease….TB bacteria are spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.

 

“TB is NOT spread by:           Shaking someone’s hand.                   Sharing food or drink.

Touching bed lines or toilet seats.     Sharing toothbrushes.

Kissing.

 

“When a person breathes in TB bacteria, the bacteria can settle in the lungs and begin to grow… they can move through the blood to other parts of the body, such as the kidney, spine, and brain.

 

“TB disease in the lungs or throat can be infectious. This means that the bacteria can be spread to other people. TB in other parts of the body, such as the kidney or spine, is usually not infectious.

 

“People with TB disease are most likely to spread it to people they spend time with every day. This includes family members, friends, and coworkers or schoolmates.” (CDC. Tuberculosis (TB). 3-20-2016 update.)

 

Tuberculosis:  “Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease and was greatly feared well into the 20th century. Frequently called “consumption,” TB was often fatal. By 1943 it was the No. 3 cause of death in Tennessee. The “White Plague,” so named because of its strikingly pale victims, carried a social stigma similar to that of AIDS in recent years. …residents fought the location of a TB hospital in their neighborhood, claiming that property values would plummet.

 

“Tuberculosis is a contagious lung disease (though it can attack other parts of the body) spread through the air. It is highly controlled today with early detection and antibiotics. Around 1900, the average hospital stay for a TB patient was three years….”  (Tennessee State Library.)

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998. CDC Wonder Online Database, released 2003. ICD-9 Codes 010-018, Tuberculosis (1979). Accessed 4-16-2019 via: https://wonder.cdc.gov

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tuberculosis (TB). 3-20-2016 update. Accessed 10-16-2018 at: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/default.htm

 

Tennessee State Library and Archives. Disasters in Tennessee. “Epidemic Scourges in Tennessee.” Nashville. Accessed 10-18-2013 at: http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/epidemics.htm

[1] ICD-9 is the 9^th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, a medical classification list by the World Health Organization — International Classification of Diseases for short.