Extended TB Screening 'Crucial' [for Britain]

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Extended TB Screening 'Crucial' [for Britain]

BBC News Online (news.bbc.co.uk) (12/15/00)

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) said this week that tuberculosis (TB) screening programs need to be energized through extra funding and personnel. Research presented at the group's winter conference indicates that the TB rate among asylum seekers in the United Kingdom is 22 percent higher than the U.K. average. Investigators from Northwick Park Hospital in Middlesex reviewed checks on 50,000 asylum seekers who arrived at Heathrow Airport between 1995 and 1999. In all, 100 people of the 41,470 screened had active TB, while 256 were referred to area hospitals. Northwick Park's Dr. Robert Davidson noted, "Over half of TB cases in the U.K. occur in people born overseas, and it is encouraging that some screening is in place--but there is no room for complacency." The BTS recommended that screening at ports of entry also include asking for a history of TB infection and treatment. According to the group, at least 8 million pounds should be invested in doctors and nurses, especially in regions with large numbers of people seeking asylum.
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