Screening for tuberculosis and latent tuberculous infection among migrant populations in Europe
Citation: Kunst H, Burman M, Arnesen TM, et al. Tuberculosis and latent tuberculous infection screening of migrants in Europe: comparative analysis of policies, surveillance systems and results. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. 2017;21(8):840–851.
Language: Abstract available in EN, ES, FR. Full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: European Union’s Health Programme.
What is this? In this comparative analysis and systematic review, the authors searched for publications about the policies and outcomes for screening for tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection among migrants in European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. They searched in December 2016 for articles published since 2000 in any language. They included 43 articles. The authors also surveyed screening policies and surveillance programmes for tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
What was found: Algorithms, service models, policies, and guidelines for tuberculosis screening varied between countries. Comparisons were challenging due to the use of different strategies, settings, and definitions for screening and results.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that there was a need for national policies to screen migrant populations for tuberculosis in EU and EFTA countries and to standardise screening programmes.
Other considerations: The authors of the review did not discuss their findings in the context of issues relating to health equity.
This summary was written by Catherine Haynes, checked by Grace Meng and finalized by William Summerskill.