Traveling or Living in Risky Areas
As mentioned earlier, anyone can become infected with tuberculosis by breathing in the associated germs, but when we looked at the United States, a disproportionate amount of immigrants and minority groups are infected. Predominately, those who originate from the Indian sub-continent, Asia, Africa, Latin America, or Russia have a higher likelihood of hosting the tuberculosis infection.
The risk of latent TB becoming active is greatest during the first few years of contracting the disease, but the risk will persist for a lifetime. Risk runs the highest among African-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic groups.
If you plan on traveling, be careful in the following countries:
• Africa (Sub-Saharan and West Africa)
• Afghanistan
• Pakistan
• India
• Bangladesh
• Indonesia
• Russia
• China
• South American countries
• Western Pacific region, including Cambodia, Vietnam, and Philippines
