Epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Chongqing, China: a retrospective observational study from 2010 to 2017

China is one of the top 30 countries with high multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) burden. Chongqing is a southwest city of China with a large rural population. A retrospective observational study has been performed based on routine tuberculosis (TB) surveillance data in Chongqing from 2010 to 2017. The MDR/RR-TB notification rate increased from 0.03 cases per 100,000 population in 2010 to 2.09 cases per 100,000 population in 2017. The extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) notification rate has increased to 0.09 cases per 100,000 population in 2017. There was a decreasing detection gap between the number of notified MDR/RR-TB cases and the estimate number of MDR/RR-TB cases among all notified TB cases. The treatment success rate of MDR/RR-TB was 50.66% in this period. The rate of MDR/RR-TB in new TB cases was 6.23%, and this rate in previously treated TB cases was 32.7%. Despite the progress achieved, the prevalence of MDR/RR-TB was still high facing challenges including detection gaps, the regional disparity, and the high risk for MDR/RR-TB in elderly people and farmers. Sustained government financing and policy support should be guaranteed in the future.