EpiReview: tuberculosis in New South Wales, 1991-2002.

Tuberculosis continues to be a disease of global public health significance. In 2001, 183 countries notified a total of 3.8 million cases of tuberculosis to the World Health Organization Global Surveillance Program. Countries that surround Australia in the Western Pacific Region account for one quarter of these notifications. In contrast, Australia continues to have one of the lowest rates of tuberculosis in the world. Despite these low rates of disease, tuberculosis is an important public health challenge for Australia, and requires the continued commitment of multidisciplinary services and ongoing surveillance to monitor trends in presentation of the disease, its treatment, and the clinical outcomes for people identified with tuberculosis.