[Tuberculosis and migrants]

Migrants, and especially those recently arrived in host countries, are a group at very important risk of tuberculosis. Fifty percent of the new cases of tuberculosis are diagnosed within this risk group. The incidence of tuberculosis is directly correlated to the incidence of tuberculosis in the native countries. Thirty-five percent of new cases of tuberculosis in France were observed in 2001 in foreigners, although they only account for 6% of the total population. The incidence was 6.2 cases/100,000 in French patients and 57.2 cases/100,000 in foreign patients. Moreover, the incidence increased by 7% in foreign patients between 1997 and 2001. The country of birth seems to be a better indication for risk of tuberculosis than nationality. Forty-five percent of patients with tuberculosis were born abroad and the incidence of tuberculosis reached 33.4/100,000 among migrants born in North Africa and 128.9/100,000 for people born in Sub-Saharan Africa.