Undocumented migrants in Switzerland: geographical origin versus legal status as risk factor for tuberculosis.
Undocumented migrants, meaning migrants without a legal residency permit, come to Geneva from countries with high tuberculosis (TB) incidence. We estimate here whether being undocumented is a determinant of TB, independently of origin. Cross-sectional study including undocumented migrants in a TB screening program in 2002; results were compared to 12,904 age and frequency matched participants in a general TB screening program conducted at various workplaces in Geneva, Switzerland from 1992 to 2002. A total of 206 undocumented migrants (36% male, 64% female, mean age 37.8 years (SD 11.8), 82.5% from Latin America) participated in the TB screening program. Compared to legal residents, undocumented migrants had an adjusted OR for TB-related fibrotic signs of 1.7 (95% CI 0.8;3.7). The OR of TB-related fibrotic signs for Latin American (vs. other) origin was 2.7 (95% CI 1.6;4.7) among legal residents and 5.5 (95% CI 2.8;10.8) among undocumented migrants. Chest X-ray screening identified a higher proportion of TB-related fibrotic signs among Latin Americans, independently of their residency status.
Wolff
H
H
Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, University of Geneva, 9, Avenue Champel, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. hans.wolff@hcuge.ch
Janssens
J P
JP
Bodenmann
P
P
Meynard
A
A
Delhumeau
C
C
Rochat
T
T
Sudre
P
P
Costanza
M C
MC
Gaspoz
J M
JM
Morabia
A
A
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*