Thread: Study: Immigrants’ high TB rates disturbing

Study: Immigrants' high TB rates disturbing
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.23.2008

Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action.

TB rates were highest among residents from lower Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Most drug-resistant TB cases also were from foreign-born residents, the study noted.

The researchers called for wider testing, including efforts to seek out latent cases of TB from long-term immigrant residents in certain populations.

Rates of at least 250 TB cases per 100,000 were found among people from African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia and from Southeast Asian nations including Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines.
By comparison, the overall rate of TB in the U.S. is fewer than 5 per 100,000, according to researchers at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, whose study is based on data from 2001-06. Their findings are being published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Henry Blumberg of Emory University's medical school in Atlanta, said the research shows "that it's in the interest of the United States to try to enhance global TB efforts."

Of those infected, drug-resistant TB was found in 20 percent of recent immigrants from Vietnam and 10 percent of foreign-born residents overall, compared with a little more than 4 percent of U.S.-born residents.

Public health officials worry that drug-resistant TB could become a worldwide scourge because of global travel and immigration.

The issue made headlines last year when an Atlanta attorney with drug-resistant TB flew to several countries. Tests later showed he did not infect anyone on those flights.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/249531

Study: More Than Half Of The New Tuberculosis Cases Occur In Foreign Born Immigrants In U.S.

Posted July 23rd, 2008 by Carina RoseHealth News Washington

More than half of the new tuberculosis cases occur in foreign born immigrants in the United States. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 53% of the total TB cases in the U.S. among foreign-born persons occurred in the 22% of the population born in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia regions. The study also reported a decline in TB case rates among the foreign-born population overall, but even more than 20 years after arrival it remained higher than among U.S. born persons.

Drug resistant TB was found to be the highest in Vietnam, Peru, the Philippines and China among others. Experts feel screening immigrants and refugees from the Philippines and Vietnam would have detected almost half the average 250 TB cases that came into the U.S. every year between 2001 and 2006, and immigrants from Africa and Southeast Asia should be tested and treated for TB before their arrival to prevent the spread of the disease.

A study of case rates showed that individuals born in most countries of sub Saharan Africa had annual case rates of more than 250 per 100,000 persons for the first two years of entry into the U.S. Those born in Central America, Eastern Europe, the Pacific Islands, and South, East, and Central Asia had annual rates of 100 per 100,000 persons while the lowest risk was among those born in Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, all of which had rates of less than 10 per 100,000 persons.

Kevin P. Cain of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention felt that with an excess of 37 million foreign born people living in the US, finding and testing all of them for latent TB infection was not possible. So their study was designed to target latent screening efforts by examining the risk of TB and drug-resistant disease among subgroups of foreign-born individuals.

The CDC researchers concluded that though neither testing nor treatment for latent TB can be implemented as recommended, its yield could be better by focusing on the highest-risk groups of foreign-born persons first. This could be easily handled through overseas diagnosis and treatment of latent TB before immigration, the current nine-month regimen for treating latent TB makes this strategy impractical.
http://www.topnews.in/usa/study-more-ha ... s-u-s-2822

ALIPAC NOTE: While this Associated Press article says "Immigrants", we would like to note that LEGAL IMMIGRANTS are screened for Tuberculosis when coming from high risk nations. Therefore, we can all safely assume that the likely culprit is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION again!

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article3377.html

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

ALIPAC NOTE: While this Associated Press article says "Immigrants", we would like to note that LEGAL IMMIGRANTS are screened for Tuberculosis when coming from high risk nations. Therefore, we can all safely assume that the likely culprit is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION again!

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article3377.html

Very good point W! It's my understanding that ALL LEGAL IMMIGRANTS must undergo a complete physical exam as part of the entry process, in which they are tested for such diseases as TB and a host of others. If they are found to be infected, they will not be granted entry into this country.

Yep, and now we're going to purposely let in HIV infected folks.

A lot of TB is then spread in schools, to American children who then take it home so the rest of the family can expose others. We will become so thirld world its like going back 100 years in public health care.

Thank you William for pointing out that we LEGAL immigrants are screened for TB, as well as other diseases. It applies, I think, to all countries, not just those considered 'high risk'. I'm from the UK where TB is (or was until illegal immigration took off there) virtually unknown.