Epidemiological characteristics of tuberculosis in Zhejiang province, 2010

Objective To understand the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB), referral follow-up and outcome of TB cases in Zhejiang. Methods The analysis was conducted on the incidence data of TB collected from Tuberculosis Information Management System and National Disease Reporting Information System. Results A total of 35 671 TB cases were reported with the incidence of 68.86/lakh in which 14 130 cases were smear positive with the incidence of 27.28/lakh; The reported incidence was low in early and late 2010, but high in the middle of the year. The incidence of smear positive cases remained stable besides a slight increase; the reported incidence in males was 2.24 times than in females, and the incidence was higher in older age groups. Most cases were farmers, migrant workers and workers, accounting for 75%. Totally 35 106 TB cases were reported from non TB prevention agencies, the successful referral rate of TB cases was 96.61%. The curative rates of smear positive cases and new smear positive cases were 89.63%, and 91.20% respectively. Conclusion The incidence of tuberculosis was in a downward trend in Zhejiang in recent years, the incidence was higher in males than in females, in older people than in younger people. Both the overall successful referral rate and curative rate of TB patients were high.