Incidence of tuberculosis among children born in Israel--1956 to 1979.

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among Israeli-born children was studied. The incidence rates for Jews and non-Jews were compared at various ages and in different years. Non-Jews had higher rates of TB than had Jews at all ages. The difference between the two groups was largest at age 5 to 9 years (rate ratio, non-Jews to Jews, 4.0). Among Jews, the highest rates of TB were found in the youngest age-group, while among the non-Jews rates continued to be high until the age of 14. The annual incidence of TB showed a general decline for all age-groups among the Jews, while among the non-Jews only children aged 0 to 4 demonstrated a similar trend. The largest reductions in the incidence of TB occurred in children of this age in both groups. During the last years of the study, the annual incidence of TB among Israeli-born persons reached particularly low levels, with only 14 new cases being diagnosed during 1979, 5 among Jews and 9 among non-Jews. The respective incidence rates were 0.3 and 2.6 per 100,000 population.