[Epidemiologic trends in tuberculosis].

More than 90% of all tuberculosis cases occur in developing countries. Incidence rates estimated by WHO vary from 23 per 100,000 in industrialized countries to 191 per 100,000 in Africa and 237 per 100,000 in South East Asia. the downward trend observed in most industrialized counties in the 1970's and 1980's caused a neglect that nearly made tuberculosis a forgotten disease among the medical profession and policy makers. Ths neglect has led to a catastrophe in certain large cities in the United States. The resurgence of tuberculosis can not be attributed to the HIV/AIDS epidemic alone but also to the dismantling of health care structures responsible for tuberculosis control in certain countries.