Department of Health, Taipei City Government

On World Tuberculosis Day, March 24th, the World Health Organization called for a global push to eliminate new tuberculosis (TB) infections by 2035. As shown by Taiwan Center for Disease Control statistics, the incidence of TB in Taipei City has been reduced from 52.9 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 21.6 per 100,000 in 2023, and is expected to reach 17.4 per 100,000 in 2024, achieving an accrued reduction of 67%. Annual new cases have reduced from 1,000 in 2011 to 434 in 2024, with the reduction of up to 20% in 2023/2024 being the most notable. As more vulnerable individuals are up to 25 times  more likely to develop the disease compared to the general population, the Department of Health, Taipei City Government, encourages screening and a comprehensive prophylactic regiment to reduce the risk of disease onset by 90% or more. In 2025, an increased number latent TB infection screening programs for foreign spouses in Taipei City was held, with anyone completing the screening process receiving commodity coupons of NT$300.

Transmitted through air and droplets, the TB pathogen does not lead to an active TB immediately, but those infected have a 5% to 10% risk of developing TB over their lifetime, and that risk greatly increases for the immunocompromised. High-risk individuals including patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis, diabetic patients at 45 years of age or older and those with glycated hemoglobin (A1c) at ≧9.0%, patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are 60 years of age or older, or patients infected with HIV may visit any of the 27 partner hospitals in Taipei for screening and treatment provided free of charge. From 2018 to 2024, Taipei City provided a total of 19,442 screenings for high-risk individuals and provided 1,265 positive cases with prophylactic treatment aimed to prevent the development of TB.

As a commitment to the personal health and wellness of foreign spouses, Department of Health, Taipei City Government organized TB screenings for foreign spouses on a larger scale in 2025. Visit any of the 27 partner hospitals in Taipei with your NHI card and resident certificate/national ID card and call to make an appointment. Those participating will receive commodity coupons of NT$300.

The Department of Health, Taipei City Government urges anyone with coughing symptoms lasting 2 weeks or longer, with the presence of sputum, chest pain, weight loss, poor appetite, fever and night sweats to put on a medical-grade face mask and seek medical attention.