A survey showed that the number of tuberculosis patients in South Korea last year was 17,944, a decrease of 8.2% compared to the previous year. The number of tuberculosis patients in South Korea has been declining for 13 consecutive years since 2011.
On the 24th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced the '2024 tuberculosis patient reporting status' on the occasion of the 15th Tuberculosis Prevention Day.
Last year, the number of tuberculosis patients in South Korea was 17,944, including 14,412 new patients and 3,532 recurrent or re-treated patients. The number of tuberculosis patients in South Korea has been declining at an average rate of 7.6% per year since peaking at 50,491 in 2011.
By type of tuberculosis patients, pulmonary tuberculosis accounted for 14,095 patients, or 78.5% of the total. The number of patients resistant to tuberculosis treatments, making treatment difficult, was 461, a decrease of 16.3% from the previous year.
However, the proportion of tuberculosis patients aged 65 and over, as well as foreign tuberculosis patients, continues to rise steadily each year.
Last year, the proportion of tuberculosis patients aged 65 and over was 58.7%, accounting for more than half. The proportion of elderly tuberculosis patients started at 48.5% in 2020 and increased to 51% in 2021, 55.4% in 2022, and 57.9% in 2023. Among a population of 100,000, there were 105.8 tuberculosis patients aged 65 and over, compared to 18 patients under 65, which is more than six times higher.
The number of foreign tuberculosis patients has been decreasing since 2016 when mandatory tuberculosis screenings were implemented for long-term residents from high-risk tuberculosis countries. However, the proportion of foreign tuberculosis patients among all patients is gradually increasing. The proportion of foreign tuberculosis patients was 5.2% in 2020, 5.4% in 2021, 5.3% in 2022, 5.7% in 2023, and 6.0% in 2024.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency is implementing a comprehensive tuberculosis management policy to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in the country. A 'home visit tuberculosis screening project' targeting elderly individuals and the homeless, who have relatively low access to medical care, conducted 187,000 screenings last year. Through this process, 133 tuberculosis patients were detected early, preventing further transmission. Additionally, 250 tuberculosis patients were also detected early through the tuberculosis epidemiological investigation team that started operations in 2013. To enhance the efficiency of screenings targeting foreign patients, information materials on 'tuberculosis treatment and management' will be developed and distributed in 10 languages.
Starting this year, efforts will be made to develop rapid and simultaneous diagnostic technologies for the early detection of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and to create short treatment methods to reduce long-term treatment burdens.
On this day, during Tuberculosis Prevention Day, the government awarded prizes to individuals and organizations that have contributed to tuberculosis management efforts. Professor Kim Joo-sang from Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital and Professor Lee Jae-ho from Bundang Seoul National University Hospital will receive the President’s Commendation for their contributions to the treatment of tuberculosis patients and the development of tuberculosis treatment technologies. The Prime Minister’s Commendation will be awarded to Hwang Min-hee, a tuberculosis nursing specialist at Ajou University Hospital.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Jeong Young-mi noted, 'Korea has been consistently carrying out its national tuberculosis management project, maintaining a trend of decreasing tuberculosis patients for 13 consecutive years.' She added, 'Since tuberculosis is not a disease of the past but rather a current and ongoing issue, we will continue to make policy efforts to eradicate it.'