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SACRAMENTO — The number of tuberculosis cases reported in California rose slightly in 2001, but the TB rate — the number of cases per 100,000 residents — remained the same, state officials said Friday. 

There were 3,332 new cases reported last year, up from 3,297 in 2000. That means there were 9.5 cases for every 100,000 residents both years. 

The number of TB cases has declined since 5,382 were reported in 1992. 

“TB is an age-old disease and eliminating it is a fight that public health workers are waging around the world,” said Diana Bonta, the state’s health director. “Although we have made great progress in California and in the United States, we know that much remains to be done to prevent a resurgence of the disease.” 

Despite the stagnant rate of new TB cases, California still has the highest number of cases in the United States and there are wide differences in the TB rate among the state’s ethnic groups. 

The rate for Asians and Pacific islanders is 33.8 per 100,000 residents, for blacks it’s 12.4 per 100,000 and for Hispanics it’s 11.4 per 100,000. American Indians have a rate of 7.7 per 100,000 and the rate for while, non-Hispanic residents is 2.1 per 100,000. 

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On the Net: Read the report and a county-by-county breakdown at www.dhs.ca.gov