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Tuberculosis in Santa Clara County

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department released data in February 2025 showing: 

  • A 17 percent decrease in new tuberculosis (TB) diagnoses in the county in 2024, compared to 2023.
  • This follows a 19% percent increase in new TB diagnoses in the county for calendar year 2023, compared to 2022.

Researchers estimate that 168,000 people in Santa Clara County, and as many as 13 million people in the US, have LTBI (latent TB infection). If not diagnosed or treated, these people are at risk of becoming sick with TB disease in the future. Five to ten percent of individuals with LTBI develop TB disease over their lifetime.

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is urging people at increased risk to seek TB testing and treatment. A simple skin test or blood test can identify someone with TB infection. 

Who should be testing for TB? Learn more about tuberculosis

Tuberculosis by the numbers in Santa Clara County, 2024

 

Number of TB Cases and TB Case Rate

Vertical Bar chart shows TB case counts and case rates per year from 2010 to 2024. The highest case rate was from 2010 with a rate of 10.7 cases per 100,000 people, and the lowest case rate was from 2021 with a rate of 7.0 cases per 100,000 people. For 2024, the case count was 140 with case rate of 7.4 cases per 100,000.

In 2024, there were a total of 140 newly diagnosed TB cases in Santa Clara County, for a rate of 7.4 cases per 100,000 people. This is a 17% decrease from the prior year. 

 

TB cases by Age at Time of TB Diagnosis

This figure shows the percentage of TB cases across different age groups in 2024. 70% of all cases were age 45 and over.

In 2024, 70% of TB cases were age 45 and over and 8% were under 25 years of age.

TB cases by Race/Ethnicity 

Pie chart shows TB cases from 2024 by race/ethnicity group. Asian made up the majority of TB cases at 75%. Followed by the Hispanic population at 20%. African American /African Ancestry made up 3%, and White made up 2%.

Three-quarters of all TB cases in 2024 identified as Asian.

TB Case Rate by Country of Birth

This figure shows the rate of TB cases per 100,000 people for 2024 among those born in the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Mexico, China, and the United States. Case rate is highest in those born in the Philippines, with a rate of 42.1 cases per 100,000 people.

The TB case rate was highest among individuals born in the Philippines, at a rate 60 times that of individuals born in the U.S. 

Years of Residence in the U.S. for those born outside US.

This chart shows breakdown of TB cases who were born outside U.S. by years lived in the U.S. 61% of TB cases who were born outside the U.S. had lived in the U.S. for 10 or more years, 12% had lived in the U.S. between 5 to 9 years, 9% had lived in the U.S. for 2 to 4 years, and 16% lived in the U.S. for under 2 years.
A chart showing a gradient from dark green to light green, representing years of residence in the US. The chart has a legend with five categories labeled from left to right: 'unknown,' '10+ years,' 5-9 years,' '2-4 years,' and 'under 2 years.' The colors in the legend transition from dark green (for 'unknown') to light green (for 'under 2 years'), illustrating the range of years individuals have lived in the US.

Among TB cases born outside the U.S., 73% have lived here for at least five years and 16% had lived here less than 2 years. 

Based on 140 patients' data

Other characteristics of TB cases in 2024

17%
decrease in new tuberculosis diagnosis between 2023 and 2024
40%
of 2024 cases had at least one comorbidity
similar to 2023
11%
of 2023 cases died with TB or while on TB treatment
26%
of 2024 cases had diabetes mellitus, the most common comorbidity
similar to 2023
19%
of 2023 cases displayed resistance to any of the four front-line drugs
168,000
people estimated to be living with Latent TB Infection in Santa Clara County
Data Sources
  1. Santa Clara County Public Health Department, California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, 2025. Data as of February 3, 2025, and are provisional.
  1. State of California, Department of Finance, E-2. California County Population Estimates and Components of Change by Year — July 1, 2010–2021, December 2021.
  1. State of California, Department of Finance, E-2. California County Population Estimates and Components of Change by Year — July 1, 2020-2024, December 2024. 

  1. U.S. Census Bureau; 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B05006, Table DP02; generated by Public Health Science Branch, using data.census.gov; Accessed March 5, 2025

  1. California Department of Public Health, Tuberculosis Control Branch. Report on Latent Tuberculosis Infection in California, 2022. 

Additional data
Santa Clara County TB cases by age, 2017
Santa Clara County TB incidence rates 2007-2017 
Santa Clara County TB cases by country of birth