Abstract:

Objective To understand the endemic trend of reported pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among students and teachers in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Methods The incidence data on TB among students and teachers reported in Xinjiang from 2005 to 2024 were obtained from the Chinese Disease Prevention and Control Information System. Descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics, and the Joinpoint regression model was applied to analyze the changes trends of incidence. Results From 2005 to 2024, a total of 35 101 cases of TB among students and teachers were reported across the region, among whom 27 225 were associated with students, and 7 876 with teachers. The average annual reported incidence rate was 30.98/100 000 for students, and 130.52/100 000 for teachers. From 2005 to 2024, the overall reported incidence rate of TB among students showed an overall downward trend (AAPC=-5.80%, 95% CI: -7.70% to -4.80%, t=-7.84, P<0.05), and the proportion of reported cases in the total population presented an upward trend in 2016-2024（APC=11.54%，95%CI：4.70%~29.60%，t=1.81，P<0.05）. The overall reported incidence rate of teacher TB showed a downward trend (AAPC=-12.50%, 95% CI: -16.60% to -10.40%, t=-7.90, P<0.05), and the proportion of reported cases in the total population tended to decline correspondingly (AAPC= -8.78%, 95% CI: -10.50% to -7.50%, t=-14.10, P<0.05). Among different regions, the incidence hotspots of TB among students were mainly concentrated in Northern Xinjiang, with Tacheng Prefecture recording the highest average annual reported incidence rate across Xinjiang at 76.77/100 000. For teachers, TB incidence hotspots were predominantly in Southern Xinjiang, and Kashgar Prefecture had the highest average annual reported incidence rate in Xinjiang, standing at 257.85/100 000. Conclusion From 2005 to 2024, the reported incidence rate of TB among students and teachers in Xinjiang showed a downward trend in general. However, in recent years, the proportion of students among all TB cases tended to rise. In the future, TB monitoring, screening, and standardized management should be strengthened in the targeted areas to reduce the occurrence of TB in schools.

Key words: Tuberculosis, Incidence rate, Students, Teachers, Epidemiological characteristics, Xinjiang