European policies in the management of tuberculosis among migrants

Int J Infect Dis. 2017 Mar:56:85-89. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2016.11.002. Epub 2016 Nov 9.

Abstract

Globally 10.4 million new tuberculosis (TB) incident cases were estimated to have occurred in 2015, of which 3% were reported in the World Health Organization European Region. Importantly, about 25% of the global multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases are reported in the European Region, representing one of the greatest challenges to TB control; these are reported particularly in the countries of the Former Soviet Union. Over a quarter of TB cases in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) are reported among foreign-born individuals. In line with the recent increase of migration flows towards Europe, TB among migrant populations is also on the rise, emphasizing the need for a better understanding of the TB trends at the regional and sub-regional levels, and of the existing policies on migrants and refugees. The present article is aimed at describing the policies and practices of European countries with a low and intermediate TB incidence with regard to the detection and management of TB and latent TB infection (LTBI) among refugees in Europe.

Keywords: Europe Region; LTBI; Refugees; Screening practices; Survey; TB.

MeSH terms

  • Coinfection / epidemiology
  • Ethnicity
  • Europe / epidemiology
  • Health Policy*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Population Surveillance
  • Refugees / statistics & numerical data*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Transients and Migrants / statistics & numerical data*
  • Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
  • Tuberculosis / drug therapy*
  • Tuberculosis / epidemiology
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / diagnosis
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / drug therapy
  • Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / epidemiology
  • World Health Organization