Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacillus (a mycobacterium of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex) that most commonly affects the lungs but can sometimes affect other organs as well. It is an airborne disease transmitted through droplets of bronchial secretions from an infectious patient, particularly when they cough.

Today in France, the rapid identification of tuberculosis cases (investigation, targeted screening) and the treatment of identified latent tuberculosis infections remain the main components of tuberculosis control, supplemented by BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccination, which primarily protects against severe forms of the disease in children.

Key Points 2019

Nationally

• 5,116 reported cases, representing an incidence rate of 7.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Over the past 10 years, this incidence has ranged between 8.0 and 7.1.

• Three population groups identified as the most affected by the disease and on which control and prevention efforts should focus as a priority:

  • homeless people (222 cases per 100,000 inhabitants);

  • people born outside France (38.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants);

  • prisoners (58 cases per 100,000 inhabitants).

• Decrease in the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis cases: 75 in 2019, compared to 82 cases in 2018.

• The change in BCG vaccination policy in 2007 and the recent vaccine shortage have not impacted the epidemiology of childhood tuberculosis. Severe forms of tuberculosis in children (meningeal or miliary) are on the decline (10 cases in 2019) and are consistent with predictions made when the mandatory BCG vaccination was suspended.

At the regional level

• Geographical and population-based disparities are comparable to those observed in previous years. There is a heterogeneous distribution of tuberculosis across regions and populations.

• The highest incidence rates remain in the same three regions:

  • French Guiana (25.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants);

  • Ile-de-France (16.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants);

  • Mayotte (10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants).

The Ile-de-France region accounts for 36% of cases. Seine-Saint-Denis is the most affected department in metropolitan France (26.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants).

Number of cases reported between 2000 and 2019