Epidemiological Characteristics of Tuberculosis Among Interprovincial Migrants - China, 2019-2023

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) represents one of China's most significant infectious disease, with inter-provincial population migration posing a challenge to controlling its spread. This study examined TB cases among inter-provincial migrants across China from 2019 to 2023. Methods TB surveillance data were extracted from China's Tuberculosis Information Management System and analyzed using R software (version 4.4.0). After information desensitization, the relevant information of TB patients with differing current and permanent address codes was extracted. Results Between 2019 and 2023, we identified 123,945 TB cases among inter-provincial migrants, representing 4.03% (123,945/3,077,951) of all reported TB cases. The primary destination provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) for TB patients were Guangdong (48,183 cases, 38.9%), Zhejiang (27,383 cases, 22.1%), Fujian (8,582 cases, 6.9%), Beijing (7,959 cases, 6.4%), and Shanghai (7,403 cases, 5.9%), collectively accounting for 80.3% of all inter-provincial migrant TB cases. The PLADs with the highest outflow of TB migrants were Sichuan (15,155 cases, 12.23%), Hunan (14,707 cases, 11.87%), Guizhou (13,927 cases, 11.24%), Jiangxi (8,892 cases, 7.17%), and Hubei (8,441 cases, 6.81%). Among these migrant cases, 66.2% were male, 93.0% were newly diagnosed, 2.4% exhibited drug resistance. The proportion of individuals aged 45-64, aged ≥65 and re-treated exhibited a significant annual increase ( P Conclusion From 2019 to 2023, the characteristics of TB among inter-PLADs migrant patients have undergone certain changes. The migration of TB primarily flows from economically weaker regions to more developed areas, with the main destination PLADs relatively stable. Effective TB control among inter-PLADs migrants requires targeted screening programs focusing on individuals from major source and destination PLADs. Tailored strategies should be developed based on the migration patterns of different PLADs.