Tuberculosis: evidence review for newly arriving immigrants and refugees.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The foreign-born population bears a disproportionate health burden from tuberculosis, with a rate of active tuberculosis 20 times that of the non-Aboriginal Canadian-born population, and could therefore benefit from tuberculosis screening programs. We reviewed evidence to determine the burden of tuberculosis in immigrant populations, to assess the effectiveness of screening and treatment programs for latent tuberculosis infection, and to identify potential interventions to improve effectiveness.

Methods

We performed a systematic search for evidence of the burden of tuberculosis in immigrant populations and the benefits and harms, applicability, clinical considerations, and implementation issues of screening and treatment programs for latent tuberculosis infection

SUBMITTER: Greenaway C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3168670 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature