Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, China

摘要

To the Editor: The prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious problem in the People's Republic of China. China is 1 of 22 countries with the highest incidence of TB (1). It is also 1 of 27 countries with the highest incidence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB). According to the national baseline survey on TB in 2007 and 2008, the frequency of MDR TB among pulmonary TB patients in China was 8.3%. We estimate that there are 120,000 new cases of MDR TB in China per year, which accounts for 24.0% of new cases worldwide (510,000) per year