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Objective: In order to figure out how and to what degree the social and economic development and control strategy influencing the epidemics of tuberculosis and to provide reference for tuberculosis prevention and control in China., Methods: Based on the data from the nationwide random surveys on tuberculosis in 1979, 1984/1985, 1990 and 2000 and the indexes on social and economic development of China, correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship of three factors including (1) the change of epidemic situation of tuberculosis from 1979 to 2000; (2) the level of social and economic development; (3) the implementation of Health V Project., Results: The prevalence rate of smear positive tuberculosis was significantly correlated to per capita net income of rural population, consumption level of city population, per capita GDP, density of population, and proportion of rural population. Among which the correlation with per capita net in come of rural population, consumption level of city population, per capita GDP, or density of population showed negative, correlation but the proportion of rural population showed positive. The range of GDP increase was similar in both areas with or without the implementation of Health V Project from 1990 to 2000 (77.2% and 77.8%). However, the ranges of the decline of prevalence rate were quite different (44.4% and 12.3%) in the two areas. In the western part of China, the range of GDP increase was similar in the areas with or without the implementation of Health V Project. However, the prevalence rate declined in the area that implementing the project but increased in other areas without the project., Conclusion: The level of social and economic development had influenced the prevalence rate of tuberculosis, but the implementation of tuberculosis control project played an important role in the reduction of tuberculosis prevalence rate from 1979 to 2000 in China.

Objective: To study the current status of geriatric tuberculosis (TB) and its impact on TB control program under the directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy in China., Methods: Using the prevalence information regarding the epidemiology of geriatric TB from the National Random Survey in 2000, a case-control study was carried out to analyze the case detection, treatment and management of geriatric TB patients between DOTS area and non-DOTS area., Results: The prevalence of sputum smear positive (SS+) in the age group of 65 or above was 440/100 000 which was 3.6 times of the average prevalence of SS+ of all age groups. Geriatric SS+ patients took up 28.8% of all the TB patients in 13 provinces with implementation of DOTS and 28.9% in 15 provinces without. The population of TB case in the age group 65 or above occupied 11.4% of all the newly registered SS+ case in 13 DOTS provinces from 1992 to 2000., Conclusion: The prevalence of geriatric SS+ was high. In both DOTS and non-DOTS areas, the proportion of geriatric SS+ was high but the registration rate of new SS+ was low among all the age groups. Both high prevalence and low case detection rate of geriatric TB became main issues to be under concern in the TB control strategy in China.