[COMPARISON OF TUBERCULOSIS SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS IN JAPAN AND LOW-INCIDENCE COUNTRIES: INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN]

[Objective] To compare the tuberculosis (TB) surveillance systems of Japan and low TB-incidence western countries in terms of institutional design. [Method] We conducted a descriptive comparative study for TB surveillance systems in Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The following information was collected from self-administrated question- naires and relevant published data: 1) TB notification, 2) TB registration, 3) quality assurance and data protection mechanisms, 4) linkage with other surveillance, and 5) data disclosure. [Result] The basic structure common to all countries sur- veyed was that TB notifications were reported quickly through an online system, as required by law. TB registration data, which included detailed demographic and clinical informa- tion, was shared via the database and available to all admin- istrative levels. In addition, aggregated data reports were published periodically. Information related to TB genotype and data quality assurance, for example, detection of duplication of records, was available in surveillance systems in countries other than Japan. [Conclusion] We propose that developing a sharing mechanism for TB genotype and ensuring better quality assurance would strengthen the Japanese TB surveillance system.