Abstract
The incidence and mortality rates of tuberculosis (TB) in the Republic of Korea are 77 and 5.2 per 100,000 people, respectively (2016), which are the highest among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Recently, the incidence of TB among teens and individuals in their 20s in the Republic of Korea decreased significantly. The decrease is largely attributed to the TB screening and contact investigation efforts targeting schools over the past few years. However, the incidence of TB among elderly individuals remains high, and it is even increasing compared to that in the past 10 years. Older individuals account for 42% of all TB cases and 82% of TB-related deaths. The success rate of TB treatment in the Republic of Korea has gradually increased due to various programs, such as control of non-compliance, insurance coverage for TB diagnosis and treatment, and TB public–private mix models. This study suggests that policy makers should focus their efforts on policies that prioritize a significant reduction in the incidence of TB based on the 2nd National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Control (2018–2022).
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) has an extremely high global disease burden with more than 10 million new TB cases and approximately 1.7 million TB-related deaths reported annually worldwide [1]
In 1989, a transition from health center- to private hospital-based TB control program began with the introduction of the nationwide health insurance system, and since 2010, significant effort has focused on TB public–private mix (PPM) model
TB contact investigation has been reinforced and conducted on family members and other individuals who are in close contact with patients with TB as an effort for the early detection of such condition, and this measure is in addition to the significant effort made in the treatment and management of patients with TB, including free TB diagnosis and treatment and allocation of TB-specialist nurses [3]
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) has an extremely high global disease burden with more than 10 million new TB cases and approximately 1.7 million TB-related deaths reported annually worldwide [1]. TB and LTBI screening became mandatory for healthcare workers, postnatal care workers, nursery workers, workers in children welfare facilities, and teachers at kindergartens and primary, secondary, and high schools since 2017 in accordance with the Tuberculosis Prevention Act; the government of Korea paid for systematic LTBI screening and treatment for approximately 1.2 million individuals within this target population [3,10].
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