[Notification Status and Characteristics of Foreign Tuberculosis Cases in the Gyeongnam Region during 2017-2023]

This study aimed to examine the foreign tuberculosis (TB) cases in the Gyeongnam region (Busan metropolitan city, Ulsan metropolitan city, Gyeongsangnam-do; Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) following the 2016 TB control policy implementation to improve TB management among foreign populations.

Between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2023, 941 foreign TB cases were recorded in the Gyeongnam region.

In the Gyeongnam region, foreign TB notifications initially dropped from 180 in 2017 but later increased by 30 (35.3%) in 2023. Notably, Ulsan exhibited the highest foreign TB proportion (4.5%), followed by Gyeongnam (4.3%) and Busan (1.9%). Of the 941 patients, 85.9% were aged 20-50 years and 97.9% (921) were from high-TB-burden countries. In 2023, multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant TB incidence rate was approximately 3.2-times higher among foreigners (8.7%) than among Koreans. Over seven years, treatment interruption rate among foreign patients with TB in the Gyeongnam region (18.8%) was approximately 8.5-times higher than the national average (2.2%). Among the 392 cases recorded in congregate settings, 81.6% occurred in workplaces and 13.3% in schools.

The number of foreign TB cases in the Gyeongnam region declined following the implementation of the 2016 foreign TB control policy, with only a slight increase observed in 2023. Notably, most foreign cases were from high-TB-burden countries, underscoring the need for targeted TB management.