The 25-34 age group has the highest incidence of tuberculosis.

By age group, the most tuberculosis (TB) cases were found in the 25-34 age group, at 18.65 percent in 2015. The second highest was the 45-54 age group at 17.33 percent, followed by the 35-44 age group at 17.18 percent. Children aged 0-14 years accounted for 8.59 percent.

Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused by infection with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacterium. Transmission occurs when a patient infected with acid-fast bacilli (AFB)-positive TB bacteria expels droplets of sputum.

Although this infectious disease is quite dangerous, the priority of finding contagious tuberculosis patients among all patients remains low. In 2017, the proportion of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients among all registered/treated patients was only 57.1 percent, far from the minimum target of 70 percent.

Of the 34 provinces, only eight achieved above 70 percent. In the Riau Islands and Papua, the proportion of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients among all registered/treated patients was only 37 percent, far from the target.