결핵연구원

Policy

Development of policies for effective treatment and management of tuberculosis and non-tuberculosis patients

The incidence rate of TB patients in South Korea is 39 per 100,000 population, ranking second among OECD countries, while the mortality rate is 3.8 per 100,000 population, ranking fourth, indicating that the country cannot yet be considered safe from TB.
TB patients aged 65 and over account for 57.9% of all patients, and the treatment discontinuation rate among TB patients in vulnerable populations such as the homeless is approximately 2.5 times higher than in other groups. According to the results of the national latent TB infection screening program, the positivity rate for latent TB infection among group facility workers is 18.7%, and among family contacts, it is 27.1%.
As the number of foreign residents in South Korea increases, the number of foreign TB patients is also gradually increasing.

Unlike TB, NTM diseases are not classified as mandatory reporting infectious diseases, so official statistics are not announced. However, according to recent research utilizing data from the National Health Insurance Service code A31 has increased approximately fivefold from 11 cases per 100,000 population in 2010 to 57 cases per 100,000 population in 2021. This trend is not only observed domestically but also globally, indicating a gradual increase in the isolation rate of NTM from respiratory specimens and clinical symptoms among patients with NTM infections over time.

The ultimate goal is to identify and carry out research projects related to the detection, diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of TB patients, and to establish evidence-based data for policy recommendations, including their incorporation into national TB management guidelines. Additionally, there are plans to continuously monitor and identify tasks for the surveillance system establishment and patient management policy formulation for NTM infections.
The forthcoming challenges include surveillance and treatment for foreign TB patients and latent TB patients, treatment and management of elderly TB patients, management of vulnerable populations and drug-resistant patients, as well as policy formulation in response to the continuous increase in NTM patients.