RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Active and latent TB screening in recently arrived persons from Afghanistan: feasibility and lessons learned
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 164
OP 169
DO 10.7861/clinmed.2022-0327
VO 23
IS 2
A1 Laura Macfarlane
A1 Seema Brij
A1 Fran Child
A1 Louise Turnbull
A1 Alice Lee
A1 Manuela Barrera
A1 Celia Hogan
YR 2023
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/23/2/164.abstract
AB We describe an active and latent tuberculosis (TB) screening programme undertaken in Manchester, UK in response to the arrival of a cohort of refugees from Afghanistan. In total, 217 adults and 347 children were offered screening, which involved a symptom questionnaire, Mantoux test or interferon gamma release assay, blood-borne virus screening and a chest X-ray in participants over the age of 11. We found a latent TB infection (LTBI) rate of 15% in adults and 1.5% in children, which is lower than global LTBI estimates. One case of active TB was detected. Screening was undertaken in the hotels where participants were temporarily housed, leading to high participant engagement levels. Attendance rates were almost doubled compared with a previous hospital-based screening programme. Hotel-based screening for TB presented several challenges, including transfer of information and results to secondary care. Understanding these challenges and learning from the programme has helped us refine our screening protocol to optimise migrant TB screening in Manchester in the future.