Korea Ranks 1st in OECD Tuberculosis Incidence... "Post-COVID, Health Capacity Must Focus on Tuberculosis"

March 24 World Tuberculosis Day
Interview with Shin Min-seok, New President of the Korean Tuberculosis Association
Korea Ranks 1st in TB Incidence and 3rd in Mortality Among OECD Member Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] "Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease. Since 50% of tuberculosis patients develop the disease over their lifetime, it is difficult for the tuberculosis situation to improve in a short period. Once COVID-19 ends, national health capabilities should be more focused on tuberculosis."

Shin Min-seok, President of the Korean Tuberculosis Association, stated on the 23rd, "Korea experienced a surge in tuberculosis during the Korean War in the 1950s, and as a result, the domestic latent tuberculosis infection population is estimated to be about one-third of adults." He added, "However, through nationwide tuberculosis control policies, the number of tuberculosis patients decreased significantly from 72.4 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 38.8 in 2020."

Shin Min-seok, President of the Korean National Tuberculosis Association. [Photo by Korean National Tuberculosis Association]

March 24 is 'World Tuberculosis Day.' It was established to commemorate the day in 1883 when German bacteriologist Robert Koch discovered the existence of the tuberculosis bacillus. The number of tuberculosis patients in Korea has been decreasing annually. However, Korea still ranks first in tuberculosis incidence and third in mortality among OECD member countries in 2020, indicating that much effort is still needed for tuberculosis prevention.

At the forefront of domestic tuberculosis eradication is the Korean Tuberculosis Association. Founded in 1953, it is a private organization leading tuberculosis eradication efforts both domestically and internationally. The association conducts projects covering the entire process from tuberculosis prevention to detection, testing, and treatment. Over 40 mobile screening teams nationwide conduct examinations for local residents and high-risk groups such as the elderly and homeless, while its affiliated Tuberculosis Research Institute studies tuberculosis and future infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a respiratory infectious disease like tuberculosis, has also brought changes to the association's work. President Shin said, "Currently, tuberculosis bacillus testing through public health centers and face-to-face screening by nationwide mobile screening teams are being disrupted due to COVID-19," adding, "There is a coexistence of possibilities that hidden tuberculosis patients have increased and that infections have decreased due to the habitual wearing of masks." At 'Boksipja Clinic,' a tuberculosis and respiratory disease treatment medical institution operated by the association, the number of tuberculosis tests and treatments has actually increased due to the suspension of tuberculosis work at public health centers.

Institutions under the association, including Boksipja Clinic, are also contributing to COVID-19 response efforts. The Tuberculosis Research Institute and Seoul Clinical Testing Center are conducting COVID-19 tests, and Boksipja Clinics in Suwon and Daejeon are operating as respiratory specialized clinics. President Shin emphasized, "We are actively treating respiratory symptomatic patients, including tuberculosis patients, who are refused treatment by general hospitals."

Shin Min-seok, President of the Korean National Tuberculosis Association. [Photo by Korean National Tuberculosis Association]

Despite strengthened border controls during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association's support for high tuberculosis burden countries overseas has not stopped. The tuberculosis eradication project in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, conducted over the past two years based on the association's international tuberculosis organization 'STO-TB Partnership' and domestic Community Chest of Korea funding, was successfully completed at the end of 2021 through the association's dispatched managers and local cooperation. President Shin said, "Although there were some difficulties such as local movement and resident contact restrictions, we were able to complete the project without interruption through continuous communication and cooperation with the local government."

President Shin has served as the association's vice president since 2017 and began his term as president on the 2nd of this month. He said, "I feel a heavy responsibility as I believe our role is even more important in the changed environment due to COVID-19," and added, "We will operate the organization flexibly to strengthen its foundation and prioritize public health improvement while promoting tuberculosis eradication projects."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.