The association between humidex and tuberculosis: a two-stage modelling nationwide study in China.

BACKGROUND: Under a changing climate, the joint effects of temperature and relative humidity on tuberculosis (TB) are poorly understood. To address this research gap, we conducted a time-series study to explore the joint effects of temperature and relative humidity on TB incidence in China, considering potential modifiers. METHODS: Weekly data on TB cases and meteorological factors in 22 cities across mainland China between 2011 and 2020 were collected. The proxy indicator for the combined exposure levels of temperature and relative humidity, Humidex, was calculated. First, a quasi-Poisson regression with the distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was constructed to examine the city-specific associations between humidex and TB incidence. Second, a multivariate meta-regression model was used to pool the city-specific effect estimates, and to explore the potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: A total of 849,676 TB cases occurred in the 22 cities between 2011 and 2020. Overall, a conspicuous J-shaped relationship between humidex and TB incidence was discerned. Specifically, a decrease in humidex was positively correlated with an increased risk of TB incidence, with a maximum relative risk (RR) of 1.40 (95% CI: 1.11-1.76). The elevated RR of TB incidence associated with low humidex (5th humidex) appeared on week 3 and could persist until week 13, with a peak at approximately week 5 (RR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01-1.05). The effects of low humidex on TB incidence vary by Natural Growth Rate (NGR) levels. CONCLUSION: A J-shaped exposure-response association existed between humidex and TB incidence in China. Humidex may act as a better predictor to forecast TB incidence compared to temperature and relative humidity alone, especially in regions with higher NGRs.

The associations of ambient fine particles with tuberculosis incidence and the modification effects of ambient temperature: A nationwide time-series study in China.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major air pollutant that poses significant risks to human health. However, little is known about the association of PM2.5 with tuberculosis (TB) incidence, and whether temperature modifies the association.This study aimed to explore the association between ambient PM2.5 exposure and TB incidence in China and the modification effects of temperature. Weekly meteorological data, PM2.5 concentrations, and TB incidence numbers were collected for 22 cities across Mainland China, from 2011 to 2020. A quasi-Poisson regression with the distributed lag non-linear model was used to assess city-specific PM2.5-TB associations. A multivariate meta-regression model was then used to pool the city-specific effect estimates, at the national and regional levels. A J-shaped PM2.5-TB relationship was observed at the national level for China. Compared to those with minimum PM2.5-TB risk, people who were exposed to the highest PM2.5 concentrations had a 26 % (RR:1.26, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.52) higher risk for TB incidence. J-shaped PM2.5-TB associations were also observed for most sub-groups, however, no significant modifying effects were found. While a trend was observed between low temperatures and increased exposure-response associations, these results were not significant. Overall, approximately 20 % of TB cases in the 22 study cities, over the period 2011-2020, could be attributed to PM2.5 exposure. Strengthening the monitoring and emission control of PM2.5 could aid the prevention and control of TB incidence.

Influence of COVID-19 for delaying the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis-Tianjin, China.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the diagnosis, treatment, and care for tuberculosis (TB). Delays in seeking TB care may result in increased community transmission and unfavorable treatment outcomes. We sought to understand the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proportion of patients with TB who delayed seeking the diagnosis and care for TB and explore the reasons for their postponement. Methods: We surveyed a representative sample of outpatients treated for pulmonary TB from June to November 2020 using an anonymous standardized questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of factors associated with the postponement of TB care. We used routinely collected surveillance data to assess trends of TB reports before and after the emergence of COVID-19 (2017-2019 vs. 2020-2022) in Tianjin, China. Results: Among 358 participants who were diagnosed with pulmonary TB during the COVID-19 response, 61 (17%) postponed seeking TB diagnosis due to COVID-19, with 39 (64%) citing fear as the primary reason. Female sex (aOR:2.0; 95% CI: 1.1-3.7), previous antituberculosis treatment (aOR:3.2; 95%CI: 1.4-7.6), and TB diagnosis during the first-level response (aOR = 3.2, 1.7-6.2) were associated with the postponement. Among all 518 participants receiving antituberculosis treatment, 57 (11%) had postponed their regular healthcare visits due to COVID-19, 175 (34%) received no treatment supervision, and 32 (6%) experienced treatment interruption. Compared to 2017-2019, reported pulmonary TB declined by 36.8% during the first-level response to COVID-19, 23.5% during the second-level response, 14% during the third-level response in 2020, and 4.3% in 2021. Conclusion: The COVID-19 response reduced the number of people who sought and received diagnosis, treatment, and care for TB in Tianjin, China. Integrative programs to ensure access and continuity of TB services should be considered and dual testing for SARS-CoV-2 and M. tuberculosis may facilitate finding cases.

Comparison of different bacteriological testing strategies and factors for bacteriological confirmation among pulmonary TB patients: a retrospective study in Tianjin, China, 2017-2018.

BACKGROUND: Bacteriological confirmation (BC) proportion among notified pulmonary TB patients in China is among the lowest in the world. This study was to understand the yield of BC using different testing strategies and patient-level factors associated with BC among pulmonary TB patients in Tianjin, China during 2017-2018. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted, enrolling pulmonary TB patients reported to National TB Information Management System (TBIMS) in Tianjin during 2017-2018. BC was defined as a positive result by any of the followings: smear microscopy, culture, or nucleic acid amplification test. Individual characteristics were compared between patients with positive and negative bacteriological results using contingency tables and χ2 test. Multivariable logistic regression was applied to analyze factors associated with BC, calculating adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Of 6364 reported patients, 4181 (65.7%) were bacteriologically confirmed. Positivity proportion was 43.1% (2746/6364) for smear microscopy, 57.7% (3380/5853) for culture, 61.7% (1608/2605) for Xpert® MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) and 73.4% (1824/2484) for combination of the three. The unemployed (aOR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.2) and farmers (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.8) compared with students; diagnosis by inpatient hospitals compared with TB clinics (aOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 2.6-4.4); having symptoms for ≥2 weeks (aOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8); cough (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.8-2.8); blood sputum (aOR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.2); cavitation on chest X-ray (aOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 2.5-4.3); bilateral lung lobes affected (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.4-2.2) were factors associated with BC. CONCLUSIONS: Combination test was an effective way to improve BC among pulmonary TB patients. Being unemployed, farmers, having prolonged symptoms, and more severe in TB condition were factors associated with BC. We recommend combination of tests to improve BC for pulmonary TB patients, especially who are in early stage of the disease or with conditions tend to be bacteriologically negative.

Underreporting of Notifiable Pulmonary Tuberculosis Cases to the National Tuberculosis Information Management System - China, 2015.

What is already known about this topic? Tuberculosis (TB) notification data and the underreporting rate are major sources used in estimating TB incidence. China's TB Information Management System (TBIMS) was launched in 2005 but has not yet been evaluated for sensitivity. What is added by this report? The average underreporting rate of pulmonary TB to TBIMS in selected facilities was 8.23%. However, provincial TB or infectious disease-specific health facilities, or general health facilities had higher underreporting rates. Children, migrants, and drug resistant TB patients had higher chances to be underreported than other populations. What are the implications for public health practice? Underreporting surveys should be routinely implemented in the future. This will be vital for enhancing TB reporting and the transfer mechanisms in TB or infectious disease-specific hospitals, or general hospitals and improving the case information registration procedures in designated health facilities (DHFs).

Effectiveness of the Integrated TB Surveillance System - China, 2018-2019.

What is already known about this topic? China's national health information system provides important support and means for deepening the country's medical and health reform, for improving relevant delivery services, for enhancing the level of scientific management of health, and for promoting the goal of basic medical and health services for everyone in China. What is added by this report? To further the construction of the national health information system, the National Center for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention of China CDC, started a pilot project for a new tuberculosis (TB) integrated health (iHealth) surveillance system, which was integrated with regional health information platforms. The goal was to explore automatic data exchange between hospitals and disease control facilities to reduce the workload of data-entry. What are the implications for public health practice? This pilot proved that data sharing and automatic exchanges between different information systems can be achieved through a unified surveillance dataset, which could provide a reference point for the construction of surveillance systems for other infectious diseases or for the entire public health information system.

Guiding Tuberculosis Control Through the Healthy China Initiative 2019-2030.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, especially in China. China has the third largest TB burden in the world with nearly 0.9 million new TB cases emerging annually. Despite impressive achievements, China still faces many challenges in TB control that threaten further progress and the ability to meet the targets of the End TB strategy if not addressed. On July 15, 2019, the State Council of China issued Healthy China Initiative 2019-2030, which proposed 15 special campaigns including the Tuberculosis Control Action to guide the way for China's TB prevention and control. This article introduces the current status of TB in China, achievements reached so far, and challenges remaining and interprets the targets and strategies from the individual, society, and government level in the Tuberculosis Control Action.

Is knowledge retained by healthcare providers after training? A pragmatic evaluation of drug-resistant tuberculosis management in China.

OBJECTIVES: Considering the urgent need of training to improve standardised management of drug-resistant infectious disease and the lack of evidence on the impact of training, this study evaluates whether training participants' knowledge on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is improved immediately and a year after training. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 91 MDR-TB healthcare providers (HCPs), including clinical doctors, nurses and CDC staff, who attended a new MDR-TB HCP training programme in Liaoning and Jiangxi provinces, China. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A phone-based assessment of participants' long-term retention of knowledge about MDR-TB management was conducted in July 2017, approximately 1 year after training. The proportion of correct responses in the long-term knowledge assessment was compared with a pretraining test and an immediate post-training test using a χ2 test. Factors influencing participants' performance in the long-term knowledge assessment were analysed using linear regression. RESULTS: Across both provinces, knowledge of definitions of drug-resistant TB, standardised MDR-TB case detection protocols and laboratory diagnosis was improved 1 year after the training by 14.5% (p=0.037), 32.4% (p<0.001) and 31% (p<0.001) relative to pretraining. However, compared with immediately after training, the knowledge of the three topics declined by 26.5% (p=0.003), 19.8% (p=0.018) and 52.7% (p<0.001) respectively in Jiangxi, while no significant decline was observed in Liaoning. Additionally, we found that obtaining a higher score in the long-term knowledge assessment was associated with longer years of clinical experience (coefficient=0.51; 95 CI% 0.02 to 0.99; p=0.041) and attending training in Liaoning (coefficient=0.50; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.85; p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Our study, the first to assess knowledge retention of MDR-TB HCPs 1 year after training, showed an overall positive long-term impact of lecture-style group training on participants' knowledge. Knowledge decline 1 year after training was observed in one province, Jiangxi, and this may be partly addressed by targeted support to HCPs with fewer years of clinical experience.

Drainage outflow restriction as a parameter associated with cortical venous reflux in craniofacial arteriovenous malformations with cavernous sinus drainage.

PURPOSE: Craniofacial arteriovenous malformations (CF-AVMs) are locally aggressive extracranial lesions. When CF-AVMs involve cavernous sinus (CS) as their draining vein, they represent a special subgroup which may interfere intracranial venous system. In this study, we aimed to analyze the venous drainage patterns of CF-AVMs with CS drainage and to demonstrate how it affected our treatment strategy. METHODS: Cases of CF-AVMs associated with CS drainage were collected from a prospectively collected database of patients with CF-AVMs who underwent endovascular treatment from September 2016 to March 2018. Clinical data and angioarchitectural findings were analyzed. Factors associated with the presence of venous reflux (cortical venous reflux (CVR) or dural sinus reflux (DSR)) were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifteen CF-AVM patients associated with CS drainage were analyzed. Three cases of venous reflux from the CS were identified (CVR, 2; DSR, 1). Lesions with unilateral venous drainage, ≤ 2 draining veins, and the absence of antegrade CS outflow were more likely to develop venous reflux from the CS. We successfully performed additional trans-venous coil embolization of the superior ophthalmic vein in two patients with malformations associated with venous reflux to close this venous connection to the CS. CONCLUSION: CF-AVMs associated with CS drainage confer an increased risk of CVR and DSR, especially in cases where the drainage outflow is restricted. Identification of this venous angioarchitecture is essential in the evaluation and treatment planning of CF-AVMs.

Spontaneous Regression of Parapharyngeal Arteriovenous Malformation.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are fast-flow vascular malformations that mostly occur in the head and neck region. They are typically progressive and their spontaneous regression is almost never seen. We present a case with pulsatile tinnitus and a parapharyngeal AVM. It resolved completely after diagnostic catheter-based angiography alone.

Clinical outcome of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients receiving standardized second-line treatment regimen in China.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the clinical outcome and the risk factors associated with poor outcome of MDR-TB patients receiving standardized second-line treatment regimen in China. METHODS: Between January 2008 and December 2010, a total of 12,100 clinical diagnosed TB cases at high risk of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) were enrolled in this study. Routine follow-up tests were conducted every month during the 6-month intensive phase, and every two months during the 18-month continuation phase. RESULTS: On the basis of phenotypical drug susceptibility test (DST) results, 2322 MDR-TB patients were confirmed, of which 1542 further received standardized second-line anti-TB regimen. The treatment success rate was 47.6% (734/1542): 688 patients (44.6%) were cured and 46 (3.0%) completed treatment. The percentage of cases with favorable outcome in previously untreated patients (57.6%) was significantly higher than that in treatment-experienced patients (46.1%, OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.17-2.14). In addition, a significant lower percentage of male MDR-TB cases with favorable outcome (45.8%) was observed using female MDR-TB cases as a reference (52.0%, OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.03-1.60). The proportion of MDR-TB cases with favorable outcome was significantly decreased in older age groups. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our data demonstrate that less than half of these patients receiving standardized second-line treatment regimen meet the definition of successful treatment during a 3-year period in China. More attention should be paid to the MDR-TB population at high-risk of poor clinical outcome, including male, elderly age, and those who have received prior treatment.

The Global Fund in China: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis nationwide programmatic scale-up and challenges to transition to full country ownership.

China has the world's second largest burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB; resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampicin), with an estimated 57,000 cases (range, 48,000-67,000) among notified pulmonary TB patients in 2015. During October 1, 2006-June 30, 2014, China expanded MDR-TB care through a partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund). We analyzed data on site expansion, patient enrolment, treatment outcomes, cost per patient, and overall programme expenditure. China expanded MDR-TB diagnostic and treatment services from 2 prefectures in 2006 to 92 prefectures, covering 921 of the country's 3,000 counties by June 2014. A total of 130,910 patients were tested for MDR-TB, resulting in 13,744 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 9,183 patients started on MDR-TB treatment. Treatment success was 48.4% (2011 cohort). The partnership between China and the Global Fund resulted in enormous gains. However, changes to health system TB delivery and financing coincided with the completion of the Global Fund Programme, and could potentially impact TB and MDR-TB control. Transition to full country financial ownership is proving difficult, with a decline in enrollment and insufficient financial coverage. Given needed improvement to the current treatment success rates, these factors jeopardise investments made for MDR-TB control and care. China now has a chance to cement its status in TB control by strengthening future financing and ensuring ongoing commitment to quality service delivery.

Adverse Events Associated with Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in China: An Ambispective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Adverse events are under-appreciated negative consequences that are significant clinical problems for patients undergoing anti-MDR-TB treatment due to longer duration of treatment and more need for concurrent use of multiple second-line drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of adverse events and their impact on MDR-TB therapy and treatment outcome, and to identify possible drug-event pairs in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS An ambispective cohort study was conducted based on hospital medical records, which included a retrospective study that enrolled 751 MDR-TB patients receiving standardized regimen between May 2009 and July 2013, and a follow-up investigation of treatment outcome conducted in December 2016 in China. Adverse events were determined according to laboratory results or clinical criteria. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used for evaluating associations. RESULTS There were 681(90.7%) patients experienced at least 1 type of adverse event and 55.2% of them required a changed MDR-TB treatment; 51(6.8%) patients required permanent discontinuation of the offending drug due to adverse events. The occurrence of adverse events was associated with poor treatment outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% CI 1.21, 1.87). A total of 10 different drug-event pairs were identified. CONCLUSIONS Adverse events occurred commonly during MDR-TB treatment in China, and often resulted in MDR-TB treatment change. The occurrence of adverse events affected MDR-TB poor outcome after treatment.

Adverse Events Associated With the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a growing public health problem. Due to long duration of therapy and concurrent use of multiple second-line drugs, adverse drug events (ADEs) are regarded as the most important clinical consideration in patients undergoing anti-MDR-TB treatment. To evaluate the frequency and type of treatment-related ADEs owing to MDR-TB therapy. The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched from inception through October 1, 2012, with additional manual search of International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Studies with available ADEs were selected if MDR-TB patients were treated with regimen including second-line drugs. Pooled estimations of incidence for each specific type of ADEs were calculated with 95% confidence intervals using random-effects model. Of the 5346 patients included, 2602 (57.3%) experienced at least 1 kind of ADE. The 3 most common side effects were gastrointestinal disorders (32.1%), ototoxicity (14.6%), and psychiatric disorders (13.2%). Subgroup analyses based on each characteristic (study population, previous tuberculosis treated, human immunodeficiency virus prevalence, and length of treatment) did not show any significant difference between groups. Additionally, among 1519 patients who developed ADEs with available data of impact on MDR-TB therapy, 70.4% required change of MDR-TB treatment. Adverse events were common among MDR-TB cases, occurring in more than half of the cases, with over two-thirds requiring change of anti-MDR-TB treatment. MDR-TB patients should be monitored closely and managed aggressively for side effects during therapy, especially for ototoxicity and psychiatric disorders.

Effect of a comprehensive programme to provide universal access to care for sputum-smear-positive multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China: a before-and-after study.

BACKGROUND: China has a quarter of all patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) worldwide, but less than 5% are in quality treatment programmes. In a before-and-after study we aimed to assess the effect of a comprehensive programme to provide universal access to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up for MDRTB in four Chinese cities (population 18 million). METHODS: We designated city-level hospitals in each city to diagnose and treat MDRTB. All patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in Center for Disease Control (CDC) clinics and hospitals were tested for MDRTB with molecular and conventional drug susceptibility tests. Patients were treated with a 24 month treatment package for MDRTB based on WHO guidelines. Outpatients were referred to the CDC for directly observed therapy. We capped total treatment package cost at US$4644. Insurance reimbursement and project subsidies limited patients' expenses to 10% of charges for services within the package. We compared data from a 12 month programme period (2011) to those from a retrospective survey of all patients with MDRTB diagnosed in the same cities during a baseline period (2006-09). FINDINGS: 243 patients were diagnosed with MDRTB or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis during the 12 month programme period compared with 92 patients (equivalent to 24 per year) during the baseline period. 172 (71%) of 243 individuals were enrolled in the programme. Time from specimen collection for resistance testing to treatment initiation decreased by 90% (from median 139 days [IQR 69-207] to 14 days [10-21]), the proportion of patients who started on appropriate drug regimen increased 2·7 times (from nine [35%] of 26 patients treated to 166 [97%] of 172), and follow-up by the CDC after initial hospitalisation increased 24 times (from one [4%] of 23 patients to 163 [99%] of 164 patients). 6 months after starting treatment, the proportion of patients remaining on treatment increased ten times (from two [8%] of 26 patients to 137 [80%] of 172), and 116 (67%) of 172 patients in the programme period had negative cultures or clinical-radiographic improvement. Patients' expenses for hospital admission after MDRTB diagnosis decreased by 78% (from $796 to $174), reducing the ratio of patients' expenses to annual household income from 17·6% to 3·5% (p<0·0001 for all comparisons between baseline and programme periods). However, 36 (15%) patients did not start or had to discontinue treatment in the programme period because of financial difficulties. INTERPRETATION: This comprehensive programme substantially increased access to diagnosis, quality treatment, and affordable treatment for MDRTB. The programme could help China to achieve universal access to MDRTB care but greater financial risk protection for patients is needed. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Relative bioavailability of rifampicin in four Chinese fixed-dose combinations compared with rifampicin in free combinations.

BACKGROUND: Decreases in the bioavailability of rifampicin (RFP) can lead to the development of drug resistance and treatment failure. Therefore, we investigated the relative bioavailability of RFP from one four-drug fixed-dose combination (FDC; formulation A) and three two-drug FDCs (formulations B, C, and D) used in China, compared with RFP in free combinations of these drugs (reference), in healthy volunteers. METHODS: Eighteen and twenty healthy Chinese male volunteers participated in two open-label, randomized two-period crossover (formulations A and C) or one three-period crossover (formulations B and D) study, respectively. The washout period between treatments was 7 days. Bioequivalence was assessed based on 90% confidence intervals, according to two one-sided t-tests. All analyses were done with DAS 3.1.5 (Mathematical Pharmacology Professional Committee of China, Shanghai, China). RESULTS: Mean pharmacokinetic parameter values of RFP obtained for formulations A, B, C, and D products were 11.42 ± 3.41 µg/ml, 7.86 ± 5.78 µg/ml, 13.05 ± 6.80 µg/ml, and 16.18 ± 3.87 µg/ml, respectively, for peak plasma concentration (C max ), 91.43 ± 30.82 µg·h-1·ml-1 , 55.49 ± 37.58 µg·h-1·ml-1 , 96.50 ± 47.24 µg·h-1·ml-1 , 101.47 ± 33.07 µg·h-1·ml-1 , respectively, for area under the concentration-time curve (AUC 0-24 h ). CONCLUSIONS: Although the concentrations of RFP for formulations A, C, and D were within the reported acceptable therapeutic range, only formulation A was bioequivalent to the reference product. The three two-drug FDCs (formulations B, C and D) displayed inferior RFP bioavailability compared with the reference (Chinese Clinical Trials registration number: ChiCTR-TTRCC-12002451).

Tuberculosis prevalence in China, 1990-2010; a longitudinal analysis of national survey data.

BACKGROUND: China scaled up a tuberculosis control programme (based on the directly observed treatment, short-course [DOTS] strategy) to cover half the population during the 1990s, and to the entire population after 2000. We assessed the effect of the programme. METHODS: In this longitudinal analysis, we compared data from three national tuberculosis prevalence surveys done in 1990, 2000, and 2010. The 2010 survey screened 252,940 eligible individuals aged 15 years and older at 176 investigation points, chosen by stratified random sampling from all 31 mainland provinces. All individuals had chest radiographs taken. Those with abnormal radiographs, persistent cough, or both, were classified as having suspected tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was diagnosed by chest radiograph, sputum-smear microscopy, and culture. Trained staff interviewed each patient with tuberculosis. The 1990 and 2000 surveys were reanalysed and compared with the 2010 survey. FINDINGS: From 1990 to 2010, the prevalence of smear-positive tuberculosis decreased from 170 cases (95% CI 166-174) to 59 cases (49-72) per 100,000 population. During the 1990s, smear-positive prevalence fell only in the provinces with the DOTS programme; after 2000, prevalence decreased in all provinces. The percentage reduction in smear-positive prevalence was greater for the decade after 2000 than the decade before (57% vs 19%; p<0.0001). 70% of the total reduction in smear-positive prevalence (78 of 111 cases per 100,000 population) occurred after 2000. Of these cases, 68 (87%) were in known cases-ie, cases diagnosed with tuberculosis before the survey. Of the known cases, the proportion treated by the public health system (using the DOTS strategy) increased from 59 (15%) of 370 cases in 2000 to 79 (66%) of 123 cases in 2010, contributing to reduced proportions of treatment default (from 163 [43%] of 370 cases to 35 [22%] of 123 cases) and retreatment cases (from 312 [84%] of 374 cases to 48 [31%] of 137 cases; both p<0.0001). INTERPRETATION: In 20 years, China more than halved its tuberculosis prevalence. Marked improvement in tuberculosis treatment, driven by a major shift in treatment from hospitals to the public health centres (that implemented the DOTS strategy) was largely responsible for this epidemiological effect. FUNDING: Chinese Ministry of Health.

[Analysis on the spatial clustering of tuberculosis based on provincial level in China from 2008 to 2010].

OBJECTIVE: To study the tuberculosis clustering areas and the changing trend, from 2008 to 2010, so as to provider the reference for tuberculosis control. METHODS: Global spatial autocorrelation and SaTScan methods were used to detect and analyse the spatial clustering of total tuberculosis notification rate and the new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis notification rate, at the provincial level from 2008 to 2010. RESULTS: The spatial clustering (SC) phenomenon was significant on total notification rate and new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis notification rate from 2008 to 2010 (P < 0.01). The coverages of clustering areas on total notification rate showed a reduction from 19 provinces to 14 provinces, distributed in the south, west and north-east areas of China. The coverages of clustering areas on new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis notification rate concentrated in 14 provinces which covered the south and north-east of China. CONCLUSION: The disease burden and the risk of transmission in the clustering areas of tuberculosis both located in the south and the north-east of China. The disease burden of tuberculosis was high in the west of China, but not the areas with high risk of transmission.