Tuberculosis Among Foreign-born Persons in Taiwan; 2002-2005

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The foreign-born population has been growing in Taiwan. Most foreign-born persons come from countries with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB). Monitoring the trend and characteristics of TB in this population is essential for TB control in Taiwan. METHODS: Information about foreign-born persons residing in Taiwan and data of all foreign-born TB cases notified during 2002-2005 were obtained from the national authorities and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 2,444 foreign-born TB cases were notified during 2002-2005, which accounted for 3.6% of all notified TB cases during that period in Taiwan. The proportion of foreign-born TB cases was constant, without any significant yearly variation. The average annual TB notification rate in the foreign-born population was higher than that in the Taiwan-born population (94.0/100,000 vs. 72.0/100,000). There were significant differences in age, sex and regional distribution between foreign-born and Taiwan-born TB cases (p < 0.001). Foreign-born cases were predominantly female (65.4%) and aged 25-44 years (70.9%), whereas the majority of cases among the Taiwan-born population were male (69.4%) and aged > or = 65 years (49.6%). Most foreign-born TB patients (62.7%) lived in northern Taiwan but only about one-third (36.1%) of Taiwan-born TB cases were notified from that region. Among foreign-born TB cases whose original countries were recorded, the majority came from Mainland China and Vietnam, which accounted for 73.0% of all cases, followed by the Philippines (7.4%), Thailand (7.3%) and Indonesia (6.0%). CONCLUSION: Foreign-born TB patients have different profiles and a higher case rate compared to Taiwan-born patients. Monitoring the epidemiologic trend of TB among foreign-born persons, especially those who come from high TB-burden countries, is essential in the fight against TB in Taiwan.