ArticleBMC infectious diseases2009
Screening for latent tuberculosis infection among undocumented immigrants in Swiss healthcare centres; a descriptive exploratory study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Initiation and completion of treatment for latent tuberculosis infection in migrants globally: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Latent tuberculosis infection screening in immigrants to low-incidence countries: a meta-analysis.Molecular diagnosis & therapy · 2015Pooled it
- A systematic review on TST and IGRA tests used for diagnosis of LTBI in immigrants.Molecular diagnosis & therapy · 2015Pooled it
- Enhanced screening for tuberculosis infection among immigrants in southern New Brunswick: A cross-sectional pilot study.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2025Article
- 'Managing scarcity'- a qualitative study on volunteer-based healthcare for chronically ill, uninsured migrants in Berlin, Germany.BMJ open · 2019Article
- Compliance with Tuberculosis Screening in Irregular Immigrants.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Article
- Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in Syrian refugees to Canada.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2018Article
- Article
- Emergency Room Visits by Uninsured Child and Adult Residents in Ontario, Canada: What Diagnoses, Severity and Visit Disposition Reveal About the Impact of Being Uninsured.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2016Article
- The impact of migration on tuberculosis epidemiology and control in high-income countries: a review.BMC medicine · 2016Review
- Restricted access to antiretroviral treatment for undocumented migrants: a bottle neck to control the HIV epidemic in the EU/EEA.BMC public health · 2015Article
- High rates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among socially marginalized immigrants in low-incidence area, 1991-2010, Italy.Emerging infectious diseases · 2013Article
- Screening of immigrants in the UK for imported latent tuberculosis: a multicentre cohort study and cost-effectiveness analysis.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2011Article
- Sexual and reproductive health behaviors of undocumented migrants in Geneva: a cross sectional study.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2011Article
- Undocumented migrants in Switzerland: geographical origin versus legal status as risk factor for tuberculosis.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2010Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMigration is one of the major causes of tuberculosis in developed countries. Undocumented patients are usually not screened at the border and are not covered by a health insurance increasing their risk of developing the disease unnoticed. Urban health centres could help identify this population at risk. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and adherence to preventive treatment in a population of undocumented immigrant patients.
methodsAll consecutive undocumented patients that visited two urban healthcare centres for vulnerable populations in Lausanne, Switzerland for the first time were offered tuberculosis screening with an interferon-gamma assay. Preventive treatment was offered if indicated. Adherence to treatment was evaluated monthly over a nine month period.
resultsOf the 161 participants, 131 (81.4%) agreed to screening and 125 had complete examinations. Twenty-four of the 125 patients (19.2%; CI95% 12.7;27.2) had positive interferon-gamma assay results, two of which had active tuberculosis. Only five patients with LTBI completed full preventive treatments. Five others initiated the treatment but did not follow through.
conclusionScreening for tuberculosis infection in this hard-to-reach population is feasible in dedicated urban clinics, and the prevalence of LTBI is high in this vulnerable population. However, the low adherence to treatment is an important public health concern, and new strategies are needed to address this problem.
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