Abstract: Objective  To describe the spatial distribution and concentration of migrant tuberculosis (TB) patients in China, in order to provide scientific evidence for TB control among migrant population.  Methods  The data of TB patients registered in National TB Information Management System (not including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) in 2010 and 2011 was used. The numbers of active pulmonary TB cases were 74 062 and 73 635 respectively among migrant population in 2010 and 2011, and 857 401 and 831 708 among permanent residents. Excel and ArcGIS 9.3 software were applied for analysis.  Results  (1) The notification rate of migrant TB patients in 2010 and 2011 were 7.95%（74 062/931 463） and 8.13% (73 635/905 343)respectively. (2) The proportions of migrant TB patients in eastern area were 76.12% (56 379/74 062) and 76.21% (56 117/73 635) in 2010 and 2011. (3) The number of migrant TB patients registered in western area increased 1.29% ((1254/24 369-1029/26 708)×100%) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 2.77% ((235/3598-128/3403)×100%) in Tibet and 1.14% ((1396/24 421-1026/22 409)×100%) in Yunnan provinces. (4) The registration numbers of migrant TB patients were more in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and adjacent areas. In 2011 Z-score for Shanghai was 24.88, 9.27 for Hangzhou, 69.94 for Guangzhou, 46.44 for Shenzhen and 7.44 for Xiamen. While the registration number of Beijing and Chongqing was more just within the municipality, Z-scores were -3.30 and -2.87 respectively in 2011. (5) There was a positive correlation between migrant TB patients’ registration and GDP per capita, y=107 027x+23 371, the square of related coefficient was 0.6287.  Conclusion  Most of migrant TB patients accumulate in eastern coastal areas, while the incidence has been increasing year by year in western area in the recent two years. So it is very important to pay attention to TB control in western areas.

Key words: Tuberculosis, pulmonary/prevention &, control, Registries, Geographic information systems