National Survey of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in China

This survey showed that about 6% of new cases and 26% of previously treated cases of TB in China were multidrug-resistant (MDR); about 8% of MDR cases were extensively drug-resistant (XDR). The annual incidences of MDR and XDR TB are about 110,000 and 8200 cases, respectively. Drug-resistant tuberculosis, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis, is a major threat to the control of tuberculosis worldwide. 1 – 3 To date, estimates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis, including China, have relied on local or regional surveys. China has carried out surveys of antituberculosis-drug resistance in 10 of its 31 provinces. All the provinces had levels of MDR tuberculosis above the global median, and some have been classified as global “hotspots” of MDR tuberculosis. 4 – 6 Studies have consistently identified prior treatment for tuberculosis as a risk factor for drug-resistant tuberculosis. 7 – 12 Although other . . .