Other pandemic-related factors may also have hindered the disease's spread, according to Dr. Priya Shete, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that can spread through the air when a person with an active case coughs, sneezes or speaks. Symptoms include a bad cough that lasts three weeks or longer, chest pain, or coughing up blood or phlegm, according to the CDC.in the U.S. have latent infections, meaning the bacteria is inactive and the host isn’t contagious and doesn’t have symptoms. Around 5% to 10% of those latent cases, if left untreated, will develop into active disease.
"If we could just get everyone who’s at risk screened once, that would be a huge public health victory," he said. Davis said the recommendations are primarily a way to encourage screenings and prompt insurance providers to cover the costs.To screen for tuberculosis, doctors either administer a skin or blood test, though the latter is more common. The task force's recommendations don't specify how often people should be screened but note that it's reasonable to screen annually if a person is at continued risk of exposure.Shete said immigrants to the U.S.