Dr. Deborah Birx told Newsmax on Friday the recent rise in U.S. tuberculosis cases is tied to millions of migrants entering the country without proper health screening during the Biden administration.
Birx, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, pointed to what she described as a breakdown in public health safeguards at the southern border.
"The 20 million individuals that came over the border in the last four to five years did not go through public health screening," Birx said on "American Agenda." "So, a lot of the people who came across that, where we know there's high levels of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Asia and in Africa, many of those people came in unscreened."
Her comments come as newly released provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed tuberculosis cases rising nationwide.
The CDC reported 10,260 cases in 2025, continuing a rebound after years of decline and marking one of the highest totals in more than a decade.
Birx warned that the lack of screening might be contributing to the spread of more dangerous strains of the disease.
"Potentially these children are in schools," she said. "We just need to do a better job of catching up with the people who came in over the last five years, and that's why the rates are going back up."
Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs, was once a leading cause of death in the U.S. before public health measures and antibiotics reduced its prevalence.
However, global health officials have raised concerns about multidrug-resistant TB, which is more difficult and costly to treat.
Birx also noted that the vast majority of Americans lack vaccination protection against TB.
"Well, I would say over 99% of Americans are not vaccinated for TB," she said.
She argued that the recent increase in cases corresponds with shifts in immigration policy.
"You can see they're directly related to changes in the immigration policy," Birx said. "We've got to get ahead of the curve and know what we have. We have the technology to do better, and we can do better."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX :
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.