MMWR: Recommendations for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis Among Foreign-Born Persons: Report of the Working Group on Tuberculosis Among Foreign-Born Persons

Abstract

This report reviews the new CDC guidelines about TB screening for immigrants and the medical treatment of infected persons. Recent immigration trends and the epidemiology of TB among immigrants is examined. The report discusses the prioritization of TB case finding, screening, and preventive therapy for immigrants in the overall elimination of TB in the United States. It includes recommendations to improve epidemiologic reporting on the federal, state, and local levels for foreign-born persons in the US. The issues concerning barriers hindering case finding and contact investigations among immigrants with TB are discussed, with suggestions for improvement. There is a section about obstacles facing health professionals; problems with attempts to screen and provide preventive therapy for immigrants who have TB, and the difficulty of diagnosis and TB case management among immigrants. It also includes recommendations to improve treatment adherence among immigrants, and explains how to improve training programs for health professionals who work with immigrants who have TB.