Compliance with Tuberculosis Screening in Irregular Immigrants.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Immigration Health

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health issue, particularly in impoverished regions.
• Screening for active and latent TB is crucial for high-risk populations, including irregular immigrants in Western nations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an experimental protocol for active and latent tuberculosis screening in irregular immigrants.
• To assess patient compliance, feasibility, and the protocol's effectiveness in detecting clinical TB forms.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study involving 368 irregular immigrants (≥15 years) in northern Italy (2012-2013).
• Participants underwent tuberculin skin testing and were followed up until December 2016.
• Data collected on compliance, feasibility, and detection of active and latent TB.

Main Results:

• High completion rates: 90.22% for active TB screening and 87.33% for latent TB screening.
• Factors negatively impacting compliance included homelessness, prostitution, female sex, and employment status.
• Chronic alcohol consumption was linked to higher dropout rates.
• All five active TB cases detected completed treatment successfully.

Conclusions:

• Adherence to the TB screening program was notably high, attributed to organizational factors like cultural mediators, integrated health services, dedicated staff, and free services.
• Targeted screening and follow-up programs are essential for vulnerable subgroups within the immigrant population.