Tuberculosis still a threat

Some newer strains of TB are resistant to standard treatments

Taking every dose of medicine is the only way to contain TB.

NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- Tuberculosis rarely crosses the minds of most Americans. Maybe that's because cases of the disease have been declining for more than a century.

But experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are gathering in Atlanta this week to discuss -- among other things -- the importance of keeping their guard up when it comes to infectious diseases like TB.

There were 16,000 cases of TB registered in the United States last year. That's still a decline but the numbers are leveling off. What concerns researchers is the fact that some newer strains of TB are resistant to standard treatments. And these strains are spreading.

"TB changed my life drastically, I haven't worked in four years," says one patient who wishes to remain anonymous. He has a resistant strain of TB and is left with one option -- have part of his lung removed.

Smaller world, likelier spread

Rebecca Stevens keeps a close eye on such patients as part of an aggressive program in New Jersey.

She watches each patient swallow each dose of medicine -- the only way to contain TB. "Most of my patients take medicine for at least 18 months," she says.

She also voices concern about the severity of the disease. "TB is a community disease, one person with TB can make a million people sick," she says.

And lots of time spent in tight spaces -- like prisons, hospitals and poverty-stricken neighborhoods -- can aid in the spread of TB.

Although resistant strains of TB are more common in countries outside the U.S., experts say increased travel is making our world smaller -- and making the international spread of resistant tuberculosis more likely.