European policies in the management of tuberculosis among migrants.
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.
World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Maugeri Institute, IRCCS, Via Roncaccio 16, 21049, Tradate, Italy; Public Health Consulting Group, Lugano, Switzerland.
Lia
L
D'Ambrosio
World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Maugeri Institute, IRCCS, Via Roncaccio 16, 21049, Tradate, Italy.
Rosella
R
Centis
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, UN City, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Masoud
M
Dara
National Institute for TB, Lung Diseases and Thoracic Surgery, Catholic University Ruzomberok, Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia.
Ivan
I
Solovic
Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, WHO Collaborating Centre for TB/HIV and TB Elimination, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Giorgia
G
Sulis
Center for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Alimuddin
A
Zumla
World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Maugeri Institute, IRCCS, Via Roncaccio 16, 21049, Tradate, Italy. Electronic address: giovannibattista.migliori@fsm.it.
Giovanni Battista
GB
Migliori
D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012036:Refugees / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D014944:World Health Organization
Europe Region; LTBI; Refugees; Screening practices; Survey; TB