Report: Longstanding decline in TB cases has stalled

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs, and is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes.

[...] the development of antibiotics and public health efforts succeeded in treating infections and tracking down those they infected.

Most new TB illnesses occur when the immune system is weakened in a person with latent TB — by another illness, by medications, or some other cause.

Health officials say they've had success stopping spread of TB from sick people to others in the United States, but more work needs to be done to fight TB globally.

[...] in this country, there still is a steady welling up of illnesses from people with latent infections.