Abstract：Objective To explore the epidemiological characteristics and spatial aggregation of pulmonary tuberculosis in Xinjiang so as to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the distribution characteristics and seasonal variation of pulmonary tuberculosis patients based on the pulmonary tuberculosis monitoring data from the Communicable Disease Network Direct Reporting System in Xinjiang Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2011 to 2015. Spatial autocorrelation analysis was used for detecting spatial distribution features and accumulation patterns in the 94 districts and counties of Xinjiang. Results The incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis in Xinjiang (174.42/100,000) was 2.58 times that of the whole country (67.51/ 100,000), ranking the first place in China. The reported incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis showed remarkable seasonality, with the highest incidence rates in December and January (17.23 /100,000-27.53/100,000) and the lowest ones during June-October (9.58/100,000-16.30/100,000). Male and female patients accounted for 52.56% and 47.44% respectively, with the sex ratio being 1.11:1. The number of cases continuously increased with the increasing age, and the elderly pulmonary tuberculosis patients aged 60 years and above accounted for 46.77%. Most of the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were farmers and shepherds, accounting for 72.11%. Spatial correlation analysis revealed that the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the counties showed aggregated distribution. The hot spots of pulmonary tuberculosis were mostly concentrated in the southwest and south regions (217.38/100,000-687.89/100,000), while the cold spots were in the economic zone around the Tianshan Mountains (20.36/100,000 -99.24 /100,000). Conclusions Farmers, shepherds, male cases and elderly patients were the high-risk population of pulmonary tuberculosis in Xinjiang during 2011-2015. The incidence rate was higher in southern Xinjiang than in north Xinjiang, and showed a significant spatial clustering. It is necessary to enhance the monitoring and management of the high risk population and high clustering regions and formulate targeted prevention and control strategies.
2018, Vol. 25 
