Korea recorded 40,000 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) infections last year, a government report showed Sunday, hinting the country still needs more attention on the disease usually found in developing countries.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a total of 49,532 people were reported as TB patients in 2012. Among them, 39,545 were cases of new infections.
The number of male patients was some 30 percent higher than that of female patients.
By age, 16,033 of the new TB patients were between 20 to 40 years, accounting for 40.5 percent of the entire new TB cases last year. Patients older than 65 years marked 32.4 percent of the new patient figures.
Among the new cases recorded last year, 78.6 percent had pulmonary TB. Some 40 percent of the pulmonary TB patients turned out to have active TB infections, which spread through phlegm or cough.
It said 229 were infected with the so-called “super TB,” which is resistant to more than four types of medications.
Lee Deok-hyoung, deputy director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that multiple approaches are required to eradicate the disease from the country.
“Korea has the highest number of TB patients among the member states of OECD. As the report shows, the country still needs efforts, such as thorough patient management and early-stage monitoring of primary infections, to eradicate the disease.”
In 2012, meanwhile, the number of expats with TBs stood at 1,510, representing almost a 10 fold increase from a decade ago.
Rep. Kim Jung-rok of the ruling Saenuri Party said, “Many foreign workers and multicultural family members are overlooked from medical checkups which they deserve. The government should bolster its medical supports on them to allow more expats to receive TB examinations.”
Source: Korea Times