Epidemiologic Study of Tuberculosis in Kerman City during 2011 – 2015

Tuberculosis is one of the most important infectious diseases causing numerous social and economic problems. Understanding the epidemiology of tuberculosis and its related indices is one of the most important strategies for the prevention of this disease and accelerating the process of achieving sustainable development goals. In this cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study, data were collected by a researcher-made check list and using the recorded data in the Tuberculosis surveillance system during 2011 to 2015. Data analysis was done through SPSS20 and using descriptive statistics, frequency distribution and Chi-square test. A total number of 674 cases were studied of which, 87% were pulmonary and the rest were extra-pulmonary. The disease showed a decreasing trend during the years of study. The incidence rate of drug-resistant tuberculosis was about 10 per ten thousand. Approximately, 4% of patients had recurrent disease during the years of study. In pulmonary tuberculosis, the risk of recurrence and resistance was significantly higher compared to extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (P= 0.001). From all patients, about 4% had previous treatment for TB and 2.5% were HIV-positive. Indicators of tuberculosis in the city of Kerman in comparison with the indicators set by the World Health Organization were acceptable; however, due to the geographical location of Kerman that its closeness to eastern borders a stronger surveillance system is required.