180,000 Seniors and Homeless with Limited Healthcare Access to Receive Free Tuberculosis Screenings

KDCA Conducted 1,151,450 Screenings from 2020 to 2025, Detecting 881 Cases Early
Program Expanded to Include All Long-Term Care Grades 1 to 5 Starting This Year

The government will expand free tuberculosis screenings for seniors and homeless individuals with low physical and socioeconomic access to healthcare, aiming to screen a total of 180,000 people this year.

Tuberculosis Screening Method for Vulnerable Groups Through Outreach Services

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that starting January 12, it will launch the 2026 outreach tuberculosis screening program for vulnerable groups. Since 2020, this initiative has been conducted by public health centers in cities, counties, and districts nationwide, with the goal of detecting tuberculosis patients early and preventing community transmission.

Over the six years from 2020 to 2025, a cumulative total of 1,151,450 screenings were conducted, resulting in the early detection of 881 tuberculosis patients. Despite the challenges of conducting in-person outreach screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic at the program's inception, the KDCA reported a detection rate of 76.5 patients per 100,000 screenings.

As of 2024, the overall tuberculosis incidence rate in Korea is 35.2 per 100,000 people, and among those aged 65 and older, the rate is 58.7 per 100,000.

Previously, the KDCA limited senior screenings to those with long-term care grades 3 to 5, but starting this year, the program will expand to include all seniors with long-term care grades 1 to 5, thereby providing broader support to physically vulnerable seniors with limited access to healthcare.

In the first half of the year, the focus will be on initial screenings, while in the second half, the agency will encourage follow-up screenings for those with suspected findings, thereby strengthening follow-up management.

In 2024, the detection rate through initial screenings among seniors was 70.3 patients per 100,000 screenings, and through follow-up screenings, it was 316.9 per 100,000. For homeless individuals, the detection rate was 64.7 per 100,000 for initial screenings and 278.7 per 100,000 for follow-up screenings.

This year, the outreach tuberculosis screening program for vulnerable groups aims to screen a total of 180,000 people. For seniors, in addition to those with long-term care grades, the program will also include individuals identified by local governments as vulnerable to healthcare access, such as recipients of medical aid. Eligibility for screening can be confirmed by contacting the nearest public health center.

Im Seungkwan, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "It is crucial for vulnerable groups with limited access to healthcare, such as seniors and the homeless, to actively participate in outreach tuberculosis screenings for early detection and to prevent community transmission. If you are eligible for screening, please make sure not to miss this opportunity by contacting your nearest public health center and participating actively."