By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-889842.mp3
Dallas, TX – Dallas County Health officials are joining the call for some two BILLION dollars in the 2011 federal budget to combat tuberculosis abroad and in the U.S.
Dr. Garry Woo, T-B Division Medical Director, says Dallas County saw 195 cases of tuberculosis last year, a decline from the two previous years. But, that's more than the national average.
Woo: Dallas County has approximately 1.5 times the national average of tuberculosis versus the U.S. population. We are a border state, and the states that have the highest incidence of tuberculosis are border states: California, Texas, New York, Florida.
Last year, Florida recorded the first U.S. case of "extensively drug resistant" or XDR T-B. Dr. Woo says while the worldwide incidence of tuberculosis is declining, drug resistant cases are on the rise. March 24th is World Tuberculosis Day.