Please call (708) 836-8662 to report a suspect or confirmed case of TB in suburban Cook County.
Abbreviations, Acronyms and Definitions
Active Tuberculosis: Tuberculosis is an infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The infection can either be latent, where an individual does not have symptoms and cannot infect others, or progress to active disease, where an individual has symptoms and can spread the bacteria to others (see TB Disease).
AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
DOT: Directly observed therapy. Healthcare personnel watch patients take their anti-tuberculosis medications to ensure adherence to therapy.
Extrapulmonary TB: A person with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection outside of the lungs, the pleural space, and the larynx (voice box). A person with extrapulmonary disease can also have pulmonary TB (see below)
HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that can lead to AIDS.
IDSS: IDSS stands for Illinois Disease Surveillance System. IDSS is a web-based application that establishes a secure and real-time communication link between hospitals, laboratories and other health care providers with state and local health department staff for the purposes of reporting and managing communicable disease information. All TB cases in suburban Cook County are reported to the Illinois Department of Public Health using IDSS.
INH: Abbreviation for isoniazid, an anti-TB medication.
MDR-TB: Multi drug resistant TB. MDR-TB is defined as TB resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, the two most important first line anti-tuberculosis medications.
National Tuberculosis Indicators Project (NTIP): Monitoring system for tracking the progress of U.S. tuberculosis (TB) control programs toward achieving the national TB program objectives.
Pulmonary TB: A person with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the lungs, pleural space or the larynx (voice box). A person with pulmonary TB can also have extrapulmonary TB.
RIF: Abbreviation for rifampin, an anti-TB medication.
SA: Self-administered therapy. Patients are NOT watched by healthcare personnel while taking their anti-tuberculosis medications.
TB: Tuberculosis.
TB Disease: A person with TB infection who is contagious to others; a person with TB disease can have pulmonary TB, extrapulmonary TB, or both.
XDR-TB: Extensively drug resistant TB. XDR-TB is defined as MDR-TB plus TB that is resistant to any fluoroquinolone plus resistance to one of the three injectable drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).
Executive Summary
In suburban Cook County, there were 70 new cases of active TB in 2024. Over the past 15 years, TB rates have fallen 24% from 3.7 per 100,000 in 2010 to 2.8 cases per 100,000 in 2024. However, cases have increased since 2020. Nationally, state-wide, and in Chicago, cases have also increased since 2020. The municipalities with the highest number of cases were Des Plaines, Berwyn, Cicero, and Hoffman Estates.
The majority of cases (85.7%) were foreign-born, with 3 countries accounting for 56% of the foreign-born cases: Mexico (33%), India (13%), and Venezuela (10%). Individuals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis can incubate the bacteria for a long time, not realizing that they are infected until they start to feel sick years later. Among foreign-born persons diagnosed with TB, 63% arrived in the US 5 or more years prior to receiving a diagnosis of TB disease.
Only 9 US-born TB cases were reported in 2024, but there were notable differences in race/ethnicity depending on whether cases were US- or foreign-born. The majority (80%) of US-born cases identified as Black/AA or White, whereas more foreign-born cases identified as Hispanic/Latino and Asian.
More than 6 out of 10 TB diagnoses in 2024 were 45 years or older, with the largest age group being 65 years and older. There were more male (n=43; 61%) cases than female (n=27; 39%).
In 2024, 66% of cases were tested for drug resistance: Fewer than 5 cases of MDR-TB and no cases of XDR-TB were identified. Of all 2024 cases, one hundred percent were tested for HIV.
Pulmonary TB (either exclusively or in combination with extrapulmonary TB) continued to represent the majority (77%) of active TB cases in suburban Cook County. In 2024, 93% of patients with pulmonary TB received DOT, the gold standard for treatment. CCDPH has maintained a high level of DOT enrollment for several years.
TB Trends By Select Jurisdictions
Figure 1. Trends in TB Diagnoses by Select Public Health Jurisdictions, 2010-2024
- The number of TB diagnoses had declined significantly from 2010-2024 in all selected geographies, but has increased since 2020.
- In suburban Cook County, the TB rate dropped 24% from 3.7 per 100,000 in 2010 to 2.8 per 100,000 in 2024.
TB in Suburban Cook County
Map 1. 3-Year Average TB Rate per 100,000 Population, Suburban Cook County, 2022-2024
Demographics
Figure 2. Percent of TB Cases by Sex, Suburban Cook County, 2024
- There were more males (n=43; 61%) than females (n=27; 39%) diagnosed with TB in 2024.
Figure 3. Percent of TB Cases by Select Age Groups, Suburban Cook County, 2024
- More than 6 out of 10 suburban Cook TB cases in 2024 were 45 years or older.
Figure 4. Percent of TB Cases by Place of Birth and Race/Ethnicity, Suburban Cook County, 2024
- There were notable differences in the race/ethnicity distribution depending on whether cases were US- or foreign-born.
Country of Origin
Figure 5. Percent of TB Cases by Place of Birth, Suburban Cook County, 2024
- The vast majority of TB diagnoses in 2024 (85.7%) were in those born overseas.
Figure 6. Percent of TB Cases by Select Countries of Origin and Tenure in the US, Suburban Cook County, 2024
- More than 6 in 10 foreign-born cases diagnosed with TB in 2024 have been living in the US for 5 or more years.
Map 2. Countries of Origin for Suburban Cook County Residents Diagnosed with TB, 2024
Foreign-born people diagnosed with TB in 2024 came from 16 different countries.
In 2024, 56% of newly diagnosed, foreign-born TB cases came from Mexico, India, and Venezuela.
Drug Resistance
Figure 7. Drug Resistance in Foreign-born TB Cases in Suburban Cook County, 2024
Figure 8. Drug Resistance in US-born TB Cases in Suburban Cook County, 2024
Pathology
Figure 9. Pulmonary TB Labs, Suburban Cook County, 2024
Includes cases with exclusively pulmonary TB as well as those who have both pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB.
Figure 10. Extrapulmonary TB Labs, Suburban Cook County, 2024
Includes cases with exclusively extrapulmonary TB as well as those who have both pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB.
Figure 11. TB Cases Coinfected with HIV, Suburban Cook County, 2024
Treatment
Figure 12. Trends in Administration of Antituberculosis Therapy in Pulmonary Cases, Suburban Cook County, 2020-2024
*Includes those pulmonary cases alive at the time of diagnosis who started therapy.
- For pulmonary cases diagnosed in 2024, 96.1% received some form of directly observed therapy.
