As of annually, about 22,000 cases of tuberculosis are being reported 1990, resulting in 1,700 deaths. Blacks are six times more likely to have tuberculosis than are whites. The disparity has long been attributed to crowded housing and other conditions of poverty. A recently published study concluded that blacks are innately more susceptible to the disease, and that when living conditions were comparable blacks were only twice as likely to contract the disease. Specialists in the area were intrigued and impressed by the study, but not all were willing to agree that biology, and not social factors, was the major factor.
As of 1990, about 22,000 cases of tuberculosis are being reported annually, resulting in 1,700 deaths. Blacks are six times more likely to have tuberculosis than are whites. The disparity has long been attributed to crowded housing and other conditions of poverty. A recently published study concluded that blacks are innately more susceptible to the disease, and that when living conditions were comparable blacks were only twice as likely to contract the disease. Specialists in the area were intrigued and impressed by the study, but not all were willing to agree that biology, and not social factors, was the major factor.