Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)

LINKS ON THIS PAGE
Background
Selected Achievements
Tuberculosis (TB) and Leading Causes of Death
Tips to Reduce Your Risk for TB Disease
Related Links

Background

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. Eleanor lived with her grandmother after the death of her mother in 1892. She was privately tutored until the age of 15. She then went on to study at Allenswood, a school for girls in England. After completing school, Eleanor became involved in social service work and joined the Junior League.

On March 17, 1905, Eleanor married Franklin D. Roosevelt. The mother of six, she became very active in humanitarian work, participating in and working with many committees and leagues, including the League of Women Voters.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt served as First Lady from 1933 to 1945. She held numerous positions and volunteered in relief efforts. She broke precedents to hold press conferences, give lectures and radio broadcasts, and express her opinions in a daily syndicated newspaper column called “My Day.” Throughout her life, Mrs. Roosevelt was known as an advocate for the rights and needs of the poor, minorities, and the disadvantaged. In November of 1962, she died from complications of tuberculosis (TB).

Selected Achievements

• Was elected as head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission
• Became an author of numerous books and articles
• Became a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Peace Corps
• Chaired the President’s Commission on the Status of Women

Tuberculosis (TB) and Leading Causes of Death

Mrs. Roosevelt died from complications of TB in 1962. TB was the second leading cause of death in 1900, but it was not among the top three leading causes of death in the 1960s. In 2002, a total of 15,075 cases of TB were reported to CDC from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, representing a 5.7% decrease from 2001 and 43.5% decrease from 1992. An estimated 10-15 million Americans are infected with the TB bacteria, with the potential to develop active TB disease in the future. About 10 percent of these individuals will develop TB at some point in their lives. However, the risk of developing TB disease is much greater for those infected with HIV and living with AIDS.

Tips to Reduce Your Risk for TB Disease

• Get tested for TB.
  http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa_latenttbinf.htm*
  TB is spread through the air from one person to another. A TB skin test is the only way to find out if you have latent TB infection, which may develop into TB disease if not treated. You can get a skin test at the health department or through your health care provider. You should get tested for TB if:
  • you have spent time with a person with known or suspected TB disease
  • you have HIV infection or another condition that puts you at high risk for TB disease
  • you think you might have TB disease
  • you are from a country where TB disease is very common (most countries in Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia)
  • you inject drugs
  • you live somewhere in the U.S. where TB disease is more common (homeless shelters, migrant farms camps, prisons/jails, and some nursing homes)
     
• Know your HIV status.
  http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/facts/hivtb.htm*
  The risk of developing TB disease is much greater for those infected with HIV and living with AIDS than those who are not. Because HIV infection severely weakens the immune system, people dually infected with HIV and TB have a 100 times greater risk of developing active TB disease and becoming infectious compared to people not infected with HIV. All people infected with HIV should be tested for TB, and, if infected, complete preventive therapy as soon as possible to prevent TB disease.
   
• Know health risks when traveling.
  http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-TB.aspx*
  Be aware if you are traveling to an area where TB is common. These include countries in Latin American/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Places in the U.S. where TB may be more common include homeless shelters, migrant farm camps, prisons/jails, and some nursing homes.

Related Links

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt*
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/ar32.html

Deaths: Leading Causes for 2001*
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr52/nvsr52_03.pdf

Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World*
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/erbio.html

Eleanor Roosevelt Timeline*
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/abouteleanor/timeline

TB: Questions and Answers*
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/faqs/qa.htm

Tuberculosis: Traveler’s Health*
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-TB.aspx

*Used as a source for this Web page.