The New Tuberculosis

Events during the past decade have dramatically changed the nature and magnitude of the problem of tuberculosis. Much of what many physicians learned in training about this disease is no longer true. In many respects, tuberculosis has become a new entity. The strategy used to control tuberculosis in the United States has been based on a two-pronged approach: identifying and treating persons with active disease (to cure them and prevent further transmission) and identifying and treating those with subclinical infection (to prevent the development of the disease). Until recently, this strategy generally was successful. The incidence of tuberculosis declined steadily, . . .