Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees
Authors: Azariyas A. Challa
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters21 July 2015Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and RefugeesAzariyas A. Challa, MD, PhDAzariyas A. Challa, MD, PhDFrom University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5111 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Liu and colleagues (1) attribute the recent decline in tuberculosis (TB) cases among newly arrived, foreign-born persons in the United States to the increase in smear-negative/culture-positive cases diagnosed overseas among immigrants and refugees, as a result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's implementation of the culture-based algorithm. This observation seems plausible until one considers that many foreign-born persons, including visitors, students, temporary workers, and unauthorized aliens, are not screened before admittance to the United States (2). In fact, immigrants and refugees constitute only approximately one third of the estimated 1.3 million foreign-born persons who enter ...References1. Liu Y, Posey DL, Cetron MS, Painter JA. Effect of a culture-based screening algorithm on tuberculosis incidence in immigrants and refugees bound for the United States: a population-based cross-sectional study. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:420-8. [PMID: 25775314] doi:10.7326/M14-2082 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Cain KP, Haley CA, Armstrong LR, Garman KN, Wells CD, Iademarco MF, et al. Tuberculosis among foreign-born persons in the United States: achieving tuberculosis elimination. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;175:75-9. [PMID: 17038659] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Grieco EM, Acosta YD, de la Cruz GP, Gambino C, Gryn T, Larsen LJ, et al. The Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2010. American Community Survey Reports ACS-19. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau; 2012. Google Scholar4. Taylor Z, Nolan CM, Blumberg HM; American Thoracic Society. Controlling tuberculosis in the United States. Recommendations from the American Thoracic Society, CDC, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2005;54:1-81. [PMID: 16267499] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Cain KP, Garman KN, Laserson KF, Ferrousier-Davis OP, Miranda AG, Wells CD, et al. Moving toward tuberculosis elimination: implementation of statewide targeted tuberculin testing in Tennessee. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186:273-9. [PMID: 22561962] doi:10.1164/rccm.201111-2076OC CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOf InterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0263. 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 Yecai Liu , Drew L. Posey , Martin S. Cetron , and John A. Painter Tuberculosis Incidence in Immigrants and Refugees Yecai Liu , Drew L. Posey , Martin S. Cetron , and John A. Painter Metrics Cited byOutbreak investigation for toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae wound infections in refugees from Northeast Africa and Syria in Switzerland and Germany by whole genome sequencing 21 July 2015Volume 163, Issue 2Page: 149-150KeywordsAlgorithmsConflicts of interestDisclosure ePublished: 21 July 2015 Issue Published: 21 July 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...