HONOLULU — The state Department of Health is observing World Tuberculosis Day today.

It was on March 24, 1882, that Robert Koch announced the discovery of tuberculosis bacillus.
State officials say although many people believe TB is a disease of the past, it is still a leading killer among infectious diseases worldwide.
They say Hawaii has the highest TB case rate in the nation, with 9.1 cases for every 100,000 people last year.
There were 118 new cases of active TB disease in Hawaii reported to department in 2009. There were 84 cases on Oahu, 16 in Maui County, 10 on Kauai and eight on the Big Island.
Over the past decade, Hawaii reported an average of 126 new TB cases per year.