This paper analises the various factors which affect the rate of mortality and illness from tuberculosis i.e. the variation in the quality of life of the people affected, the effects o f chemotherapy and the dynamics of the transmission of the disease. It describes the epidemiological indices used to measure the spread of tuberculosis. These indices are built up from inquiries of prevalence of the disease and the number of notified cases. The main indices are: the risk of infection, mortality, the coefficient of the incidence of tubercular meningitis, the coefficient of the incidence of cases of tuberculosis, especially smear positives, etc. The paper also analises recent data of incidence of cases of smear positives in the states of Pará and Rio Grande do Sul and the mortality rate from tuberculosis in the state capitals of Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, which reveal a downward trend, thought at different rates. The nature of how the present economic crisis in the country is affecting the number of cases and deaths as a result of the disease is also discussed.
