Tuberculosis in Philippine National World War II Veterans immigrating to Hawaii, 1992-1993

The Immigration Act of 1990* allows World War II veterans who are Philippine nationals to be naturalized as U.S. citizens and to enter the United States without any medical screening or restrictions. Following the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in February 1992 in a Philippine national veteran who had recently arrived in Hawaii, the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) initiated efforts to assist veterans who had already arrived in Hawaii to receive TB testing and appropriate treatment and monitoring. This report describes the first case of TB identified in a veteran who entered Hawaii from the Philippines under this act and summarizes efforts by HDOH to detect and treat TB among Philippine national veterans.