ATLANTA - The state Division of Public Health says tuberculosis cases are on the decline in Georgia. <br>
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A new state report says there were 575 cases in 2001 -- the latest data available. That's a 17-percent decrease from the 696 cases in 2000. <br>
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But Georgia still ranks seventh in the nation in T-B case rates and the state's overall case rates are higher than the national average. <br>
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State officials say T-B programs need to be strengthened to help address public health disparities. Half of the state's T-B cases were in the metro Atlanta area and some of the highest case rates in the country were in the Southeast part of the state.
