• C J Lavender, M Globan, H Kelly, L K Brown, A Sievers, J A M Fyfe, T Lauer, and D E Leslie.
• Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 2013 Jun 1; 17 (6): 752-8.

SettingVictoria, Australia.ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiology and control of tuberculosis (TB) in Victoria, 2005-2010.DesignRetrospective review of laboratory-confirmed TB in Victoria, 2005-2010. State TB reference laboratory records were matched with Department of Health notification records to obtain laboratory, demographic, clinical and treatment data.ResultsThe incidence of TB fell in the Australian-born population but increased overall, reflecting an increase in the proportion of overseas-born cases from 88.9% to 95.8% between 2005 and 2010 (P = 0.03). Patients from India and Viet Nam accounted for over one third of all cases. For overseas-born cases, the median time between arrival and diagnosis was 4 years. Half of all diagnoses were pulmonary disease, of which 45.4% were Ziehl-Neelsen smear-positive. Treatment was most commonly self-administered (76.9%), and very few patients defaulted or failed treatment (1.1%). Only 4.1% of cases were linked to another laboratory-confirmed case. Multidrug-resistant TB remained uncommon (1.7% of cases).ConclusionsTB in Victoria remains low by global standards and continues to overwhelmingly affect the overseas-born population. Current TB control strategies in Victoria are effective, but strengthened control in high-burden countries will also improve TB control locally.

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