The burden of tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a spatial analysis of drug-susceptible and multi-drug resistant cases between 2020 and 2023
Spies R., Hong HN., Trieu PP., Lan LK., Lan K., Hue NN., Huong NTL., Thao TLTN., Quang NL., Anh TDD., Vinh TV., Dang TMH., Phan TD., Nguyen PH., Van LH., Thwaites G., Nguyen TTT., Watson J., Walker T.
We characterised the spatial distribution of drug-susceptible (DS) and multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) cases in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), a major South-East Asian metropolis, and explored demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with local TB burden. Hot spots of DS- and MDR-TB incidence were observed in the central parts of HCMC, with substantial heterogeneity observed across wards. Positive spatial autocorrelation was observed for both DS- and MDR-TB. Ward-level TB incidence was associated with HIV prevalence (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.77, 95% CI 1.54-2.03) and the male proportion of the population (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08). No ward-level demographic and socioeconomic indicators were associated with MDR-TB case count relative to total TB case count. Our findings may inform spatially-targeted TB control strategies and provide insights for generating hypotheses about the nature of the relationship between DS- and MDR-TB in HCMC, Vietnam and the wider South-East Asia region.