Preventing Active TB in the Foreign-Born?

Sixty-two percent of cases of active TB among foreign-born San Francisco residents were not preventable by current TB-screening guidelines.

In San Francisco, foreign-born individuals account for 75% of all cases of active TB, and most of such cases are caused by activation of latent TB infection (LTBI). In 2000, guidelines were published for targeted tuberculin testing and treatment of LTBI. To examine the effect of implementing these guidelines, researchers reviewed the medical records of all foreign-born persons reported to the San Francisco Department of Health in 2002 and 2003 with active TB.

The investigators assessed each case to determine whether it could have been prevented by adherence to the 2000 guidelines. First, they determined the presence or absence of guideline-stipulated indications for testing (i.e., clinical risk factors, current epidemiologic risk factors, im…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Preventing Active TB in the Foreign-Born?

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Reviewing Author