A clustered pulmonary Tuberculosis outbreak at a technical school in Shenzhen, China - Report - MDSpire

A clustered pulmonary Tuberculosis outbreak at a technical school in Shenzhen, China

  • By

  • Jing Tang

  • Mingbin Xie

  • Congyang Li

  • Fan Huang

  • Liai Peng

  • Yali Qu

  • Jinzhou Mei

  • Zhenyang Liu

  • Eryong Liu

  • Yanfang Guo

  • Yunxia Wang

  • May 7, 2026

  • 0 min

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Clinical Report: Outbreak of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Shenzhen Vocational School

Overview

Revise to emphasize the implications of IGRA positivity rates for outbreak management.

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a critical public health issue globally, particularly in high-density environments such as schools. The 2025 Global Tuberculosis Report indicates that adolescents are at increased risk for TB transmission, necessitating effective prevention strategies in educational settings. Outbreaks in schools can lead to significant morbidity and complicate control efforts, underscoring the importance of timely detection and intervention.

Data Highlights

Screening RoundIndividuals ScreenedIGRA Positivity RateConfirmed Active TB CasesLatent TB Cases
First4539.3% (39/421)742
Second1765.1% (9/176)--

Key Findings

  • Initial report of two TB cases led to two rounds of screening at the school.
  • IGRA positivity rates were significantly higher in the affected class (62.2%) compared to other classes (P < 0.05).
  • Seven cases of active TB were confirmed, including one negative for IGRA.
  • Whole genome sequencing revealed a single clonal outbreak with minimal genetic variation among isolates.
  • High positivity rates were observed in dormitories occupied by students from the affected class.

Clinical Implications

Elaborate on health education and environmental hygiene's role in outbreak prevention.

Conclusion

The Shenzhen vocational school outbreak illustrates the critical need for effective TB prevention measures in high-risk environments. Addressing factors such as close contact and ventilation can significantly reduce the risk of future outbreaks.

Related Resources & Content

  1. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2023 -- Epidemiological Study of Tuberculosis Spread, Contributing Factors, and Management of Subclinical Cases During a High School Outbreak in South Korea
  2. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2023 -- Exploring the Frequency, Development, and Management of Asymptomatic Tuberculosis: A Prospective Cohort Investigation in Lanxi County, Zhejiang, China
  3. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2023 -- Health and Economic Impacts of Introducing Vaccae and Enhanced Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Management Strategies in China
  4. Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 -- WHO
  5. Infection — Tuberculosis Cases Reported in a Daycare Center in Germany
  6. Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis in Schools: Recommendations from China CDC
  7. WHO consolidated guidelines on tuberculosis Module 1: prevention - tuberculosis preventive treatment, second edition
  8. Global tuberculosis report 2025 TB SITUATION AND RESPONSE Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent and among the top 10 causes of death worldwide. It was also the leading killer of people with HIV and a major cause of death related to antimicrobial resistance. TB is contagious and airborne. TB BURDEN In 2024, an estimated 10.7 million people fell ill with TB worldwide, including 5.8 million men, 3.7 million women and 1.2 million children and young adolescents. People living with HIV accounted for 5.8% of the total. The TB incidence rate also fell, by 1.7% between 2023 and 2024, and is back to the level of 2020. Globally, the net reduction in the TB incidence rate from 2015 to 2024 was 12%, far from the WHO End TB Strategy milestone of a 50% reduction by 2025. Globally in 2024, TB caused an estimated 1.23 million deaths, including 150 000 people with HIV, compared with 1.25 million in 2023. In 2024, eight countries account for two thirds of the total number of people who fell ill with TB: India, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh. The top five countries accounted for 55% of the global total. TB CARE AND TREATMENT Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000. Globally in 2024, 8.3 million people were reported as newly diagnosed with TB in 2024 – a small increase from 8.2 million in 2023 and 78% of the estimated number of incident cases. Of these, 54% were initially tested with a rapid test, up from 48% in 2023. There is still a large global gap between the estimated number of people who fell ill with TB and the number of people newly diagnosed, with approximately 2.4 million people not diagnosed with the disease, or not officially reported to national authorities in 2024. DRUG-RESISTANT TB Globally, an estimated 390 000 people developed multidrug- resistan t or rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) in 2024. A total of 164 545 people were treated for rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) in 2024. This was 42% of the approximately 390 000 people who developed RR-TB in 2024, almost the same as in 2023. The treatment success rate for drug-susceptible TB remains high, at 88%, and has improved to 71% for RR-TB. ADDRESSING THE CO-EPIDEMICS OF TB AND HIV Among all incident cases of TB in 2024, approximately 619 000 people living with HI V developed TB, with the highest burden occurring in countries in the WHO African Region. The global coverage of HIV testing among people diagnosed with TB remained high in 2024, at 82%. This was a slight increase from 81% in 2023 and 80% in 2022. In 2024, the global coverage of ART for people living with HIV who were newly diagnosed with TB and reported as TB cases reached 91%, continuing the high level maintained since 2019 and rising from 88% in 2023. | TUBERCULOSIS IS THE WORLD’S LEADING INFECTIOUS KILLER 1.23 MILLION TB DEATHS INCLUDING 150 000 DEATHS AMONG PEOPLE WITH HIV TB is also the leading cause of deaths among people with HIV and a major contributor to deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance

Original Source(s)

A clustered pulmonary Tuberculosis outbreak at a technical school in Shenzhen, China

  • by Jing Tang, Mingbin Xie, Congyang Li, Fan Huang, Liai Peng, Yali Qu, Jinzhou Mei, Zhenyang Liu, Eryong Liu, Yanfang Guo, Yunxia Wang

  • May 7, 2026

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