Objectives This study aimed to investigate differences in the anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibody seropositivity rate by age and gender. Methods: We collected information on anti-HAV immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M status from samples submitted for HAV antibody testing in 2012–2022. A total of 1,333,615 cases were included in the analysis. Results: By age, the seropositivity rate was represented by a U-shaped curve, such that the rate was low for the group aged 20 to 39 years and higher in those who were younger or older. Over time, the curve shifted rightward, and the seropositivity rate declined gradually in the group aged 35 to 39 years and older. A gender-based difference in antibody seropositivity rate was especially noticeable in the group aged 20 to 29 years. This difference between genders widened in the participants’ early 20s—when men in the Republic of Korea enlist in the military—and the divergence continued subsequently for older individuals. Conclusion: These results indicate a higher risk of severe infection among older individuals and a gender-based difference in seroprevalence. Therefore, it is necessary to implement policies to promote vaccination in adults.
Objectives
Completeness and timeliness are key attributes of accurate disease surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate the completeness and timeliness of tuberculosis (TB) notification in the Republic of Korea, by comparing notification data from the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System and reimbursement data from the National Health Insurance. Methods
We evaluated reimbursement data from 103,075 cases (2012–2014) and surveillance data from 215,055 cases (2011–2015); cases were matched using Resident Registration Numbers. Completeness was evaluated using notifications that were reported within 365 days of the corresponding insurance claim. Timeliness was evaluated using the delay between starting TB treatment and the corresponding notification. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze factors that affected completeness (e.g., sex, age, institution type, and nationality). Results
The completeness values were 90.0% in 2012 (33,094/36,775), 93.0% in 2013 (31,445/33,803), and 94.0% in 2014 (30,537/32,497). The rates of notification within 7 days of the corresponding claim were 81.6% in 2012 (27,323/33,489), 79.8% in 2013 (25,469/31,905), and 80.4% in 2014 (24,891/30,978). Increases over time were observed in the sex-, age-, institution type-, and nationality-specific analyses. Multivariate analyses revealed that completeness was affected by institution type [hospitals: odds ratio (OR) = 1.82, p < 0.001; general hospitals: OR = 4.18, p < 0.001] and nationality (native Korean status: OR = 1.48, p < 0.001). Conclusion
Notification completeness exhibited a 4.0% increase during 2012–2014 in Korea, and institution type and nationality significantly affected the completeness of TB notifications.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Nationwide Treatment Outcomes of Patients With Multidrug/Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Korea, 2011–2017: A Retrospective Cohort Study (Korean TB-POST) Hongjo Choi, Jeongha Mok, Young Ae Kang, Dawoon Jeong, Hee-Yeon Kang, Hee Jin Kim, Hee-Sun Kim, Doosoo Jeon Journal of Korean Medical Science.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Retreatment after loss to follow-up reduces mortality in patients with multidrug/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis Hongjo Choi, Jeongha Mok, Young Ae Kang, Dawoon Jeong, Hee-Yeon Kang, Hee Jin Kim, Hee-Sun Kim, Doosoo Jeon ERJ Open Research.2023; 9(4): 00135-2023. CrossRef
Cohort Profile: Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis Cohort Constructed by Linking the Korean National Tuberculosis Surveillance System and National Health Information Database Dawoon Jeong, Hee-Yeon Kang, Jinsun Kim, Hyewon Lee, Bit-Na Yoo, Hee-Sun Kim, Hongjo Choi Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2022; 55(3): 253. CrossRef
Hidden loss to follow-up among tuberculosis patients managed by public–private mix institutions in South Korea Hyung Woo Kim, Sohee Park, Jinsoo Min, Jiyu Sun, Ah Young Shin, Jick Hwan Ha, Jae Seuk Park, Sung-Soon Lee, Marc Lipman, Ibrahim Abubakar, Helen R. Stagg, Ju Sang Kim Scientific Reports.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Assessing the Quality of Reporting to China’s National TB Surveillance Systems Tao Li, Lijia Yang, Sarah E. Smith-Jeffcoat, Alice Wang, Hui Guo, Wei Chen, Xin Du, Hui Zhang International Journal of Environmental Research an.2021; 18(5): 2264. CrossRef
Quality and Utility of Information Captured by Surveillance Systems Relevant to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A Systematic Review Mustafa Al-Haboubi, Rebecca E. Glover, Elizabeth Eastmure, Mark Petticrew, Nick Black, Nicholas Mays Antibiotics.2021; 10(4): 431. CrossRef
Risk of tuberculosis in patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a nationwide observational study Seongman Bae, Ye-Jee Kim, Min-ju Kim, Jwa Hoon Kim, Sung-Cheol Yun, Jiwon Jung, Min Jae Kim, Yong Pil Chong, Sung-Han Kim, Sang-Ho Choi, Yang Soo Kim, Sang-Oh Lee Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.2021; 9(9): e002960. CrossRef
Underreporting of patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in the Region of Southern Denmark Frederik D. Thrane, Peter H. Andersen, Isik S. Johansen, Inge K. Holden Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.2020; 48(8): 870. CrossRef
Effects of particulate air pollution on tuberculosis development in seven major cities of Korea from 2010 to 2016: methodological considerations involving long-term exposure and time lag Honghyok Kim, Sarah Yu, Hongjo Choi Epidemiology and Health.2020; 42: e2020012. CrossRef
Latent tuberculosis infection screening and treatment in congregate settings (TB FREE COREA): protocol for a prospective observational study in Korea Jinsoo Min, Hyung Woo Kim, Helen R Stagg, Marc Lipman, Molebogeng X Rangaka, Jun-Pyo Myong, Hyeon Woo Yim, Jeong Uk Lim, Yunhee Lee, Hyeon-Kyoung Koo, Sung-Soon Lee, Jae Seuk Park, Kyung Sook Cho, Ju Sang Kim BMJ Open.2020; 10(2): e034098. CrossRef
Tuberculosis Surveillance and Monitoring under the National Public-Private Mix Tuberculosis Control Project in South Korea 2016–2017 Jinsoo Min, Hyung Woo Kim, Yousang Ko, Jee Youn Oh, Ji Young Kang, Joosun Lee, Young Joon Park, Sung-Soon Lee, Jae Seuk Park, Ju Sang Kim Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.2020; 83(3): 218. CrossRef
Prediction of treatment failure and compliance in patients with tuberculosis Hyeon-Kyoung Koo, Jinsoo Min, Hyung Woo Kim, Joosun Lee, Ju Sang Kim, Jae Seuk Park, Sung-Soon Lee BMC Infectious Diseases.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the National PPM Tuberculosis Control Project in Korea: the Korean PPM Monitoring Database between July 2019 and June 2020 Jinsoo Min, Hyung Woo Kim, Hyeon-Kyoung Koo, Yousang Ko, Jee Youn Oh, Jaetae Kim, Jiyeon Yang, Yunhyung Kwon, Young-Joon Park, Ji Young Kang, Sung-Soon Lee, Jae Seuk Park, Ju Sang Kim Journal of Korean Medical Science.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Clinical profiles of early and tuberculosis-related mortality in South Korea between 2015 and 2017: a cross-sectional study Jinsoo Min, Ju Sang Kim, Hyung Woo Kim, Ah Young Shin, Hyeon-Kyoung Koo, Sung-Soon Lee, Yang-Ki Kim, Kyeong-Cheol Shin, Jung Hyun Chang, Gayoung Chun, Joosun Lee, Mi Sun Park, Jae Seuk Park BMC Infectious Diseases.2019;[Epub] CrossRef
Treatment outcomes and factors affecting treatment outcomes of new patients with tuberculosis in Busan, South Korea: a retrospective study of a citywide registry, 2014–2015 Jeongha Mok, Daeseong An, Seoungjin Kim, Miyoung Lee, Changhoon Kim, Hyunjin Son BMC Infectious Diseases.2018;[Epub] CrossRef
Tuberculosis prevention and care in Korea: Evolution of policy and practice Unyeong Go, Misun Park, Un-Na Kim, Sodam Lee, Sunmi Han, Joosun Lee, Jiyeon Yang, Jieun Kim, Shinyoung Park, Youngman Kim, Hyosoon Yoo, Jeongok Cha, Wonseo Park, Haeyoung Kang, Hwon Kim, Guri Park, Minjung Kim, Ok Park, Hyunjin Son, Enhi Cho, Kyoungin Na, Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobac.2018; 11: 28. CrossRef
The relationship between multiple chronic diseases and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and elderly populations: results of a 2009 korean community health survey of 156,747 participants JooYeon Seo, BoYoul Choi, Shinah Kim, HyeYoung Lee, DongHoon Oh BMC Public Health.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Vitamin D Deficiency among Adults with History of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Korea Based on a Nationwide Survey Mi Joo, Mi Han, Sun Park, Hwan Shin International Journal of Environmental Research an.2017; 14(4): 399. CrossRef
Tuberculosis Control in the Republic of Korea Cho, Kyung Sook Health and Social Welfare Review.2017; 37(4): 179. CrossRef
Yunhyung Kwon, So Jung Kim, Jieun Kim, Seol-yi Kim, Eun Mi Song, Eun Jung Lee, Yun Choi, Yejin Kim, Byoung ok Lim, Da Sul Kim, Duksun Choi, Hye Sung Kim, Ji Eun Park, Ji-eun Yun, Jin A. Park, Jong Rak Jung, Joo-kyoung Kim, Sang Hee Kang, Seo Yean Hong, Seung Jae Lee, Soo Jin Park, Sun Hwa Park, Sunhye Yoon, Yoonsun Kim, Yunjeong Choi, Yun Jeong Seo, Yul A Seo, Jiseon Park, Minhee Sung, Minjang Shin, Hyunjin Son, Yeonkyeng Lee, Unyeong Go, Geun-Yong Kwon
Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2014;5(Suppl):S30-S36. Published online December 31, 2014
Objectives
This study aimed to check the status of the contact investigation in congregate settings to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) in the Republic of Korea. Methods
The “Integrated System for Disease and Public Health Management” is used for care and follow-up for patients and contacts of TB. We downloaded data for contact investigations conducted from January to December 2013. Results
A total of 1,200 contact investigations in congregate settings were carried out by 25 field investigators in 2013. We performed the status of contact investigation, TB, and LTBI rate by age, accept rate of LTBI treatment, and complete rate of LTBI treatment during 2013. A total of 1,547 index TB patients, 149,166 contacts, and 259 additional TB patients were found through the investigation. Kindergartens showed the highest LTBI rate, 19.8%, among educational facilities. The second highest was in elementary schools and the subtotal LTBI rate of educational facilities was 7.8%. Social welfare/correctional facilities and workplaces showed relatively high LTBI rates of 23.8% and 23.6%, respectively. By age, individuals >35 years showed the highest LTBI rate, followed by those aged 0–4 years, 30–34 years, and 5–9 years, with rates of 18.1%, 16.4%, and 15.4% respectively. When comparing the tuberculin skin test (TST) positive conversion ratio by facility, middle school and high school were relatively high compared to the others. The accept rate of LTBI treatment in the workplace was lowest at 63% and the complete rate in elementary schools was lowest at 76.5%. Conclusion
TB contact investigation is considered as a meaningful strategy for preventing TB outbreaks in congregate settings and decreasing the prevalence of TB in young people. Results of this study could be used to establish the LTBI management policy.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Latent Tuberculosis Cascade of Care Among Healthcare Workers: A Nationwide Cohort Analysis in Korea Between 2017 and 2018 Jinsoo Min, Hyung Woo Kim, Joon Young Choi, Ah Young Shin, Ji Young Kang, Yunhee Lee, Jun-Pyo Myong, Hyunsuk Jeong, Sanghyuk Bae, Hyeon-Kyoung Koo, Sung-Soon Lee, Jae Seuk Park, Hyeon Woo Yim, Ju Sang Kim Journal of Korean Medical Science.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Risk of active tuberculosis development in contacts exposed to infectious tuberculosis in congregate settings in Korea Shin Young Park, Sunmi Han, Young-Man Kim, Jieun Kim, Sodam Lee, Jiyeon Yang, Un-Na Kim, Mi-sun Park Scientific Reports.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
The risk of active tuberculosis among individuals living in tuberculosis-affected households in the Republic of Korea, 2015 Jiyeon Yang, Sodam Lee, Suhyeon Oh, Sunmi Han, Shin Young Park, Youngman Kim, Jieun Kim, Mi-sun Park, Philip C. Hill PLOS ONE.2019; 14(12): e0225744. CrossRef
The Infectivity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Korean Army Units: Evidence from Outbreak Investigations Chang-gyo Yoon, Dong Yoon Kang, Jaehun Jung, Soo Yon Oh, Jin Beom Lee, Mi-Hyun Kim, Younsuk Seo, Hee-Jin Kim Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.2019; 82(4): 298. CrossRef
Tuberculosis prevention and care in Korea: Evolution of policy and practice Unyeong Go, Misun Park, Un-Na Kim, Sodam Lee, Sunmi Han, Joosun Lee, Jiyeon Yang, Jieun Kim, Shinyoung Park, Youngman Kim, Hyosoon Yoo, Jeongok Cha, Wonseo Park, Haeyoung Kang, Hwon Kim, Guri Park, Minjung Kim, Ok Park, Hyunjin Son, Enhi Cho, Kyoungin Na, Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobac.2018; 11: 28. CrossRef
The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Health Care Workers Working in a Tertiary Hospital in South Korea Jae Seuk Park Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.2018; 81(4): 274. CrossRef
Objectives
A fast and accurate diagnosis is necessary to control and eliminate tuberculosis (TB). In Korea, TB continues to be a serious public health problem. In this study, diagnostic tests on clinical samples from patients suspected to have TB were performed and the sensitivity and specificity of the various techniques were compared. The main objective of the study was to compare various diagnostic tests and evaluate their sensitivity and specificity for detecting tuberculosis. Methods
From January 2013 to December 2013, 170,240 clinical samples from patients suspected to have TB were tested with smear microscopy, acid-fast bacilli culture, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The test results were compared and data were analyzed. Results
A total of 8216 cultures tested positive for TB (positive detection rate, 4.8%). The contamination rate in the culture was 0.6% and the isolation rate of nontuberculous mycobacteria was 1.0%. The sensitivity and specificity of smear microscopy were 56.8% and 99.6%, respectively. The concordance rate between the solid and liquid cultures was 92.8%. Mycobacterium isolates were not detected in 0.4% of the cases in the liquid culture, whereas no Mycobacterium isolates were detected in 6.8% of the cases in the solid culture. The sensitivity and specificity of real-time PCR for the solid culture were 97.2% and 72.4%, respectively, whereas the corresponding data for the liquid culture were 93.5% and 97.2%. Conclusion
The study results can be used to improve existing TB diagnosis procedure as well as for comparing the effectiveness of the assay tests used for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
The Xpert® MTB/RIF diagnostic test for pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients: Benefits and experiences over 2 years in different clinical contexts Ana Paula de Oliveira Tomaz, Sonia Mara Raboni, Gislene Maria Botão Kussen, Keite da Silva Nogueira, Clea Elisa Lopes Ribeiro, Libera Maria Dalla Costa, Padmapriya P. Banada PLOS ONE.2021; 16(3): e0247185. CrossRef
Comparative performance of the laboratory assays used by a Diagnostic Laboratory Hub for opportunistic infections in people living with HIV Narda Medina, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Danicela Mercado, Oscar Bonilla, Juan C. Pérez, Luis Aguirre, Blanca Samayoa, Eduardo Arathoon, David W. Denning, Juan Luis Rodriguez-Tudela AIDS.2020; 34(11): 1625. CrossRef
Multiplex PCR is a Rapid, Simple and Cheap Method for Direct Diagnosis of M. tuberculosis from Sputum Samples Tarig M.S. Alnour, Faisel Abuduhier , Mohammed Khatatneh , Fahad Albalawi , Khalid Alfifi , Bernard Silvala Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets .2020; 20(4): 495. CrossRef
Naked eye detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by recombinase polymerase amplification—SYBR green I assays Nuntita Singpanomchai, Yukihiro Akeda, Kazunori Tomono, Aki Tamaru, Pitak Santanirand, Panan Ratthawongjirakul Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.2019;[Epub] CrossRef
Retropharyngeal SOL: An unusual presentation of a multifaceted entity Poojan Agarwal, Manju Kaushal, Shruti Dogra, Ankur Gupta, Nishi Sharma CytoJournal.2018; 15: 12. CrossRef
Rapid Detection of Rifampicin- and Isoniazid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis using TaqMan Allelic Discrimination Davood Darban-Sarokhalil, Mohammad J. Nasiri, Abbas A.I. Fooladi, Parvin Heidarieh, Mohammad M. Feizabadi Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives.2016; 7(2): 127. CrossRef
Port site infection in laparoscopic surgery: A review of its management Prakash K Sasmal World Journal of Clinical Cases.2015; 3(10): 864. CrossRef