International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
Volume 9, Issue 2, 2005, Pages 157-163

Results of tuberculosis screening in applicants for migration in Vietnam and Cambodia (Review)

Plant A.J.* , Watkins R.E. , Motus M. , Jones W. , O'Rourke T. , Streeton J. , Gushulak B.
  • a Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA, Australia, Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Australian Biosecurity CRC, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
  • b Division of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA, Australia
  • c Intl. Organization for Migration, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • d IOM, Bangkok, Thailand
  • e IOM, Moscow, Russian Federation
  • f [Affiliation not available]
  • g Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Medical Services, Ottawa, Ont., Canada

Abstract

SETTING: Pre-migration medical screening programmes in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. OBJECTIVE: To compare the rates of newly diagnosed bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis (TB) in a cohort of migration applicants in Vietnam and Cambodia with current estimates of the TB burden in these countries. DESIGN: Interviews and medical screening of 5108 Vietnamese and 910 Cambodian migration applicants who applied for an Australian visa. RESULTS: On initial testing, the rate of bacteriologically confirmed TB among the Vietnamese cohort was 157 per 100 000 population compared to 989/100 000 among the Cambodian cohort. When cases detected during follow-up testing were included, the rate in the Vietnamese cohort was 489/100 000 compared to 1209/100 000 in the Cambodian cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Although it has been suggested that the rate of newly diagnosed bacteriologically confirmed TB among migration applicants would underestimate the prevalence of TB in the Vietnamese and Cambodian populations, the rates found were substantially higher than current point estimates of the prevalence of TB, particularly for Vietnam. Our findings suggest that current published estimates of the tuberculosis burden in Vietnam and Cambodia may be conservative.

Author Keywords

Prospective migrants Vietnam Cambodia tuberculosis

Index Keywords

Vietnam medical assessment Australia Cambodia follow up human middle aged controlled study priority journal interview school child Sputum Humans Adolescent male Japan female Viet Nam tuberculosis Review prevalence major clinical study adult migration Emigration and Immigration
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-14044256563&partnerID=40&md5=2f5da68da582da6e905b1a126071abd0
ISSN: 10273719
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English