Aim. To describe the recent epidemiology of tuberculosis in Auckland a
nd the outcome of contact investigations. Method. Routine public healt
h data were used to review the experience of tuberculosis (TB) in the
Auckland region during a twelve month period in 1992-3. Results. There
were 152 cases, an age-standardised rate of 2.7 per 100 000 for Europ
eans, 37.8 for Maori, 70.9 for Pacific Island Polynesians and 131.3 fo
r other ethnic groups. Fifty-two (35%) were born in New Zealand; 46 (3
1%) in Asia; 44 (30%) in the Pacific Islands. Forty-seven percent of f
oreign-born cases (28% of all cases) arrived in New Zealand in the 4 y
ears preceding their notification. Forty-one per cent of cases appear
not to have been diagnosed until 3 months or longer after the onset of
their symptoms. Fifteen cases (including three sputum smear-positive
cases) took 4 weeks or longer from diagnosis to be notified to the pub
lic health office, 12.5% of isolates were not notified. Two per cent o
f the 1079 contacts examined had tuberculosis. Conclusion. This review
highlights the need for programmes to address the ethnic disparity in
rates of tuberculosis and the importance of timely comprehensive scre
ening of immigrants from high incidence countries; reducing the interv
al between onset of symptoms and diagnosis; improving the notification
rate of tuberculosis; and focusing contact investigation on those at
highest risk.