Group looks at tuberculosis along border

By Erica Molina Johnson / El Paso Times

Article Launched: 03/15/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

Residents along the U.S.-Mexico border are more likely to become infected by tuberculosis than those living in other parts of the two countries, said Dr. Kam Mung, an epidemiologist with the Pan American Health Organization, U.S.-Mexico Field Office.

"We are truly trying to make the population aware of what is tuberculosis, and know how one can get infected, how one can prevent it and how one can be treated," he said.

Eva Moya, Tuberculosis Division director of the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association, said the disease affects one-third of the world's population.

Right now, El Paso has 85 tuberculosis patients, and Juarez has about 250, but for everyone with the disease, another 15 people have been exposed to it.

Moya said four border states account for half of the nation's tuberculosis cases. She added that the disease is the No. 1 cause of death for AIDS patients, and it is seen more in those with diabetes.