Harris County tuberculosis rate remains above Texas and national averages

Harris County’s tuberculosis rate stayed higher than Texas and the nation, with 5.5 active cases per 100,000 people in 2024, a gap that keeps the disease on the front line of local public health work in Houston and across the county.

Harris County Public Health released the report on April 20, saying Texas posted 4.1 TB cases per 100,000 people in 2025 while the national rate stood at 3.0 per 100,000 in 2024. The county’s rate also kept it at the top of the state’s TB burden, and a Texas Department of State Health Services presentation listed Harris County with 265 reported cases in 2023. That places the county among the state’s biggest concentration points for a disease many people still think of as historical.

The federal picture showed the same trend. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data found that TB increases from 2023 to 2024 were widespread, with 39 of 52 reporting jurisdictions seeing rises in case counts and rates. Texas remained one of the largest contributors to the national burden, accounting for 12.9% of all U.S. TB cases in 2023.

State data show how much work still falls to local health departments. Texas diagnosed 1,097 TB cases in 2022, treated more than 2,900 people for TB infection that year, and reported that 7,415 Texans were exposed to TB in 2022. Harris County Public Health says TB spreads from person to person through droplets from people with active respiratory disease, which means quick identification and follow-up remain central to limiting transmission.

Dr. Jo Ann Monroy said tuberculosis is serious but preventable, and said the goal of the report was to better understand where it is affecting the community so public health officials can guide action and improve access to care. Harris County Public Health says its Office of Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Emerging Diseases handles disease surveillance, data analysis, education, and guidance for health care providers and community partners, while outreach efforts are meant to connect residents to services and resources.

The county also says TB continues to be a health problem in Houston, even as the trend has moved downward over time. In a county as large and diverse as Harris, that means the fight against TB still depends on surveillance, treatment access, and sustained outreach to make sure cases are found, treated, and kept from spreading further.