Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees
Authors: Yecai Liu, Drew L. Posey, Martin S. Cetron, John A. Painter
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters21 July 2015Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and RefugeesYecai Liu, MS, Drew L. Posey, MD, MPH, Martin S. Cetron, MD, and John A. Painter, DVM, MSYecai Liu, MSFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.Search for more papers by this author, Drew L. Posey, MD, MPHFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.Search for more papers by this author, Martin S. Cetron, MDFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.Search for more papers by this author, and John A. Painter, DVM, MSFrom Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5111-2 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Challa suggests several limitations of the data in our analysis, raising doubts about the effect of a newly implemented, overseas, culture-based TB screening algorithm on reducing the importation of this condition to the United States. We discussed some of these limitations in our article but have reached a different conclusion.Newly arrived nonimmigrant visitors contribute to the TB burden in the United States (1). The mean annual admission of nonimmigrant visitors between 2007 and 2012 decreased by 8.5% compared with that between 2002 and 2006. However, during the same period, the mean annual number of reported TB ...References1. Liu Y, Painter JA, Posey DL, Cain KP, Weinberg MS, Maloney SA, et al. Estimating the impact of newly arrived foreign-born persons on tuberculosis in the United States. PLoS One. 2012;7:e32158. [PMID: 22384165] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032158 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Walter ND, Painter J, Parker M, Lowenthal P, Flood J, Fu Y, et al; Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium. Persistent latent tuberculosis reactivation risk in United States immigrants. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014;189:88-95. [PMID: 24308495] doi:10.1164/rccm.201308-1480OC CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lowenthal P, Westenhouse J, Moore M, Posey DL, Watt JP, Flood J. Reduced importation of tuberculosis after the implementation of an enhanced pre-immigration screening protocol. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2011;15:761-6. [PMID: 21575295] doi:10.5588/ijtld.10.0370 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Oeltmann JE, Varma JK, Ortega L, Liu Y, O'Rourke T, Cano M, et al. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak among US-bound Hmong refugees, Thailand, 2005. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008;14:1715-21. [PMID: 18976554] doi:10.3201/eid1411.071629 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOf InterestForms.do?msNum=M14-2082. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffect of a Culture-Based Screening Algorithm on Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees Bound for the United States Yecai Liu , Drew L. Posey , Martin S. Cetron , and John A. Painter Effect of a Culture-Based Screening Algorithm on Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees Bound for the United States Yecai Liu , Drew L. Posey , Martin S. Cetron , and John A. Painter Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees Azariyas A. Challa Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees Azariyas A. Challa Metrics Cited byManagement of septic shock and severe infections in migrants and returning travelers requiring critical care 21 July 2015Volume 163, Issue 2Page: 150-151KeywordsAlgorithmsConflicts of interestDisclosureMycobacterium tuberculosis ePublished: 21 July 2015 Issue Published: 21 July 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...