Magic gulps the pills, makes a face and stalks off. His business complete, Williams hops in the van and hustles on, hurrying to keep up with tuberculosis. He does not, however, sound particularly optimistic.
"I think TB's gonna be around for a while," he says. "They need places for more testing. Everybody needs to be screened for tuberculosis everywhere. You never know who has it. The guy standing next to you could be the one that's positive, then he could move to Beverly Hills and start spreading it out there. You're not gonna catch every TB case, just like you're not gonna catch every crook."
TUBERCULOSIS RATES
Rates per 100,000 population (1992): Los Angeles County: 26 New York City: 52
RATES BY HEALTH DISTRICT* Per 100,000 population:
Less than 15: San Fernando, East Valley, West Valley, West, Torrance, Whittier, El Monte
15-30.99: Foothill, Glendale, North East, Alhambra, Pomona, San Antonio, South, Compton, Bellflower, Harbor
31-45.99: South West, Inglewood, East L.A.
46-60.99: Hollywood, South East
More than 61: Central
* Long Beach and Pasadena do not report to Los Angeles County.
Sources: Bureau of Tuberculosis Control; New York City Dept. of Health; Tuberculosis Control Program, Los Angeles County Public Health Programs
