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Problem/Condition Each year, approximately 500,000 immigrants and tens of thousands of refugees (range: 12,000–85,000 during 2001–2020) move to the United States. While still abroad, immigrants, refugees, and others who apply for admission to live permanently in the United States must undergo a medical examination. This examination identifies persons with class A or B conditions. Applicants with class A conditions are inadmissible. Infectious conditions that cause an applicant to be inadmissible include infectious tuberculosis (TB) disease (class A TB), infectious syphilis, gonorrhea, and infectious Hansen’s disease. Applicants with class B conditions are admissible but might require treatment or follow-up. Class B TB includes persons who completed successful treatment overseas for TB disease (class B0), those with signs or symptoms suggestive of TB but whose overseas laboratory tests and clinical examinations ruled out current infectious TB disease (class B1), those with a diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) (class B2), and the close contacts of persons known to have TB disease (class B3). Voluntary public health interventions might also be offered during the overseas examination. After arriving in the United States, a follow-up TB examination is recommended for persons with class B TB. Period Covered This report summarizes health information that was reported to CDC’s Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system for refugees, immigrants, and eligible others who arrived in the United States during 2014–2019. Eligible others are persons who although not classified as refugees (e.g., certain parolees, special immigrant visa holders, and follow-to-join asylees) are eligible for the same services and benefits as refugees. Description of System The EDN system has both surveillance and programmatic components. The surveillance component is a centralized database that collects 1) health-related data from the overseas medical examination for immigrants with class A or B conditions and for all refugees and eligible others and 2) TB-related data from the postarrival TB examination. The programmatic component is a reporting system that sends arrival notifications to state and local health agencies in the jurisdiction where newly arriving persons have reported intending to live and provides state and local health agencies and other authorized users with medical data from overseas examinations. Results During 2014–2019, approximately 3.5 million persons moved to the United States from abroad, including 3.2 million immigrants, 313,890 refugees, and 95,993 eligible others. Among these, the overseas examination identified 139,683 persons (3,903 per 100,000 persons examined) with class B TB, 54 with primary or secondary syphilis (30 per 100,000 persons tested), 761 with latent syphilis (415 per 100,000 persons tested), and, after laboratory testing for gonorrhea was added in 2016, a total of 131 with gonorrhea (374 per 100,000 persons tested). Refugees were offered additional, voluntary interventions, including vaccinations and presumptive treatment for parasites. By 2019, first- and second-dose coverage with measles-containing vaccine were 96% and 80%, respectively. In refugee populations for whom presumptive treatment is recommended, up to 96% of refugees, depending on the specific regimen, were offered and accepted treatment. For the 139,683 persons identified overseas with class B TB, EDN sent arrival notifications and overseas medical data to the appropriate state or local health agency to facilitate postarrival TB examinations. Among 101,119 persons identified overseas as having class B0 TB (6,586) or class B1 TB (94,533), a total of 67,432 (67%) had a complete postarrival examination reported to EDN. Among 35,814 children aged 2–14 years identified overseas with class B2 TB, 20,758 (58%) had a complete postarrival examination reported to EDN. (Adults are not routinely tested for immune reactivity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis during the overseas medical examination.) Among those with a complete postarrival examination reported to EDN, the number with a diagnosis of culture-positive TB disease within the first year of arrival was 464 (688 cases per 100,000 persons examined) for those with class B0 or B1 TB and was 11 (53 cases per 100,000 persons examined) for children with class B2 TB. Interpretation During 2014–2019, the overseas medical examination system prevented importation of 6,586 cases of infectious TB, 815 cases of syphilis, and 131 cases of gonorrhea. When the examination is used to offer public health interventions, most refugees (up to 96%) accept the intervention. Postarrival follow-up examinations, which were completed for 88,190 persons and identified 475 cases of culture-positive TB, represent an important opportunity to further limit spread of TB disease in the United States by identifying and providing, if needed, preventive care for those with LTBI or treatment for those with disease. Public Health Action Federal, state, and local health departments and agencies should continue to use EDN data to monitor, evaluate, and improve health-related programs and policies aimed at U.S.-bound or recently arrived immigrants, refugees, and eligible others. Additional public health interventions that could be offered during the overseas medical examination should be considered (e.g., treatment for LTBI). Finally, for persons with class B TB, measures should be taken to identify and remove barriers to completing postarrival examinations to reduce risk for TB disease and community transmission, along with measures to encourage reporting of completed examinations for better data-driven decision-making.

We assessed the overseas gonorrhea results reported in the CDC’s Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system among refugees ≥ 15 years old who arrived in the United States during 2018. Of 18,720 refugees, 57 (0.4%) tested positive. Among those with a positive test, 31 (54.5%) were born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by 12 (21.1%) from Afghanistan. Thirty-three (57.9%) cases were female. Fifty-one cases (89.4%) were between 15 and 44 years of age; 25 (43.9%) were ages 15–24 and 26 (45.6%) were ages 25–44. Among the cases, 56 (98.2%) were treated overseas with the recommended therapy of ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Our findings suggest that the risk of gonorrhea in refugees is similar to that in the U.S. Given recent worldwide increases in gonorrhea, additional monitoring among refugees are necessary to assess the appropriateness of the gonorrhea screening requirement in the overseas medical examination.

OBJECTIVE: To assess outcomes from the US postarrival evaluation of newly arrived immigrant and refugee children aged 2–14 years who were diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) during a required overseas medical examination. STUDY DESIGN: We compared overseas and US interferon-γ release assay (IGRA)/tuberculin skin test (TST) results and LTBI diagnosis; assessed postarrival LTBI treatment initiation and completion; and evaluated the impact of switching from TST to IGRA to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection overseas. RESULTS: In total, 73 014 children were diagnosed with LTBI overseas and arrived in the US during 2007–2019. In the US, 45 939 (62.9%) completed, and 1985 (2.7%) initiated but did not complete a postarrival evaluation. Among these 47 924 children, 30 360 (63.4%) were retested for M tuberculosis infection. For 17 996 children with a positive overseas TST, 73.8% were negative when retested by IGRA. For 1051 children with a positive overseas IGRA, 58.0% were negative when retested by IGRA. Overall, among children who completed a postarrival evaluation, 18 544 (40.4%) were evaluated as having no evidence of TB infection, and 25 919 (56.4%) had their overseas LTBI diagnosis confirmed. Among the latter, 17 229 (66.5%) initiated and 9185 (35.4%) completed LTBI treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Requiring IGRA testing overseas could more effectively identify children who will benefit from LTBI treatment. However, IGRA reversions may occur, highlighting the need for individualized assessment for risk of infection, progression, and poor outcome when making diagnostic and treatment decisions. Strategies are needed to increase the proportions receiving a postarrival evaluation and completing LTBI treatment.

We assessed the overseas gonorrhea results reported in the CDC's Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system among refugees ≥ 15 years old who arrived in the United States during 2018. Of 18,720 refugees, 57 (0.4%) tested positive. Among those with a positive test, 31 (54.5%) were born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by 12 (21.1%) from Afghanistan. Thirty-three (57.9%) cases were female. Fifty-one cases (89.4%) were between 15 and 44 years of age; 25 (43.9%) were ages 15-24 and 26 (45.6%) were ages 25-44. Among the cases, 56 (98.2%) were treated overseas with the recommended therapy of ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Our findings suggest that the risk of gonorrhea in refugees is similar to that in the U.S. Given recent worldwide increases in gonorrhea, additional monitoring among refugees are necessary to assess the appropriateness of the gonorrhea screening requirement in the overseas medical examination.

Background While persons who receive immigrant and refugee visas are screened for active tuberculosis before admission into the United States, nonimmigrant visa applicants (NIVs) are not routinely screened and may enter the United States with infectious tuberculosis. Objectives We evaluated the costs and benefits of expanding pre-departure tuberculosis screening requirements to a subset of NIVs who arrive from a moderate (Mexico) or high (India) incidence tuberculosis country with temporary work visas. Methods We developed a decision tree model to evaluate the program costs and estimate the numbers of active tuberculosis cases that may be diagnosed in the United States in two scenarios: 1) “Screening”: screening and treatment for tuberculosis among NIVs in their home country with recommended U.S. follow-up for NIVs at elevated risk of active tuberculosis; and, 2) “No Screening” in their home country so that cases would be diagnosed passively and treatment occurs after entry into the United States. Costs were assessed from multiple perspectives, including multinational and U.S.-only perspectives. Results Under “Screening” versus “No Screening”, an estimated 179 active tuberculosis cases and 119 hospitalizations would be averted in the United States annually via predeparture treatment. From the U.S.-only perspective, this program would result in annual net cost savings of about $3.75 million. However, rom the multinational perspective, the screening program would cost $151,388 per U.S. case averted for Indian NIVs and $221,088 per U.S. case averted for Mexican NIVs. Conclusion From the U.S.-only perspective, the screening program would result in substantial cost savings in the form of reduced treatment and hospitalization costs. NIVs would incur increased pre-departure screening and treatment costs.

Setting In 2007, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its tuberculosis (TB) technical instructions for panel physicians who administer mandatory medical examinations among US-bound immigrants. Many US-bound immigrants come from the Philippines, a high TB prevalence country. Objective To quantify economic and health impacts of smear- vs. culture-based TB screening. Design Decision tree modeling was used to compare three Filipino screening programs: 1) no screening, 2) smear-based screening, and 3) culture-based screening. The model incorporated pre-departure TB screening results from Filipino panel physicians and CDC databases with post-arrival follow-up outcomes. Costs (2013 $US) were examined from societal, immigrant, US Public Health Department and hospitalization perspectives. Results With no screening, an annual cohort of 35 722 Filipino immigrants would include an estimated 450 TB patients with 264 hospitalizations, at a societal cost of US$9.90 million. Culture-based vs. smear-based screening would result in fewer imported cases (80.9 vs. 310.5), hospitalizations (19.7 vs. 68.1), and treatment costs (US$1.57 million vs. US$4.28 million). Societal screening costs, including US follow-up, were greater for culture-based screening (US$5.98 million) than for smear-based screening (US$3.38 million). Culture-based screening requirements increased immigrant costs by 61% (US$1.7 million), but reduced costs for the US Public Health Department (22%, US$750 000) and of hospitalization (70%, US$1 020 000). Conclusion Culture-based screening reduced imported TB and US costs among Filipino immigrants.

Immigrants and refugees age 2-14 years entering the United States from countries with estimated tuberculosis (TB) incidence rate ≥20 per 100,000 population are screened for TB. Children with TB disease are treated before US arrival. Children with positive tuberculin skin tests (TST), but negative TB evaluation during their pre-immigration examination, are classified with latent TB infection (LTBI) and are recommended for re-evaluation post-arrival. We examined post-immigration TB evaluation and therapy for children arriving with LTBI. We reviewed medical exam data from immigrant children with medical conditions and all refugee children arriving during 2010. Medical examination data were available for 67,334 children. Of these, 8231 (12 %) had LTBI pre-immigration; 5749 (70 %) were re-evaluated for TB post-immigration, and 64 % were retested by TST or IGRA. The pre-immigration LTBI diagnosis was changed for 38 % when retested by TST and for 71 % retested by IGRA. Estimated LTBI therapy initiation and completion rates were 68 and 12 %. In this population, testing with IGRA may limit the number of children targeted for therapy. Increased pre-immigration TB screening with post-immigration follow-up evaluation leading to completion of LTBI therapy should be encouraged to prevent TB reactivation.

The association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and tuberculosis disease (TB) has been recognized for decades. Recently CKD prevalence is increasing in low- to middle-income countries with high TB burden. Using data from the required overseas medical exam and the recommended US follow-up exam for 444,356 US-bound refugees aged ≥ 18 during 2009–2017, we ran Poisson regression to assess the prevalence of TB among refugees with and without CKD, controlling for sex, age, diabetes, tobacco use, body mass index ( kg/m2), prior residence in camp or non-camp setting, and region of birth country. Of the 1117 (0.3%) with CKD, 21 (1.9%) had TB disease; of the 443,239 who did not have CKD, 3380 (0.8%) had TB. In adjusted analyses, TB was significantly higher among those with than without CKD (prevalence ratio 1.93, 95% CI: 1.26, 2.98, p

Background Pillar 3 of the End TB Strategy calls for the promotion of research and innovation at the country level to facilitate improved implementation of existing and novel interventions to end tuberculosis (TB). In an era of increasing cross-border migration, there is a specific need to integrate migration-related issues into national TB research agendas. The objective of the present review is to provide a conceptual framework to guide countries in the development and operationalization of a migrant-inclusive TB research agenda. Methods We conducted a literature review, complemented by expert opinion and the previous articles in this State of the Art series, to identify important themes central to migration-related TB. We categorized these themes into a framework for a migration-inclusive global TB research agenda across a comprehensive spectrum of research. We developed this conceptual framework taking into account: 1) the biomedical, social and structural determinants of TB; 2) the epidemiologic impact of the migration pathway; and 3) the feasibility of various types of research based on a country's capacity. Discussion The conceptual framework presented here is based on the key principle that migrants are not inherently different from other populations in terms of susceptibility to known TB determinants, but that they often have exacerbated or additional risks related to their country of origin and the migration process, which must be accounted for in developing comprehensive TB prevention and care strategies. A migrant-inclusive research agenda should systematically consider this wider context to have the highest impact.

Effective tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care for migrants requires population health-based approaches that treat the relationship between migration and health as a progressive, interactive process influenced by many variables and addressed as far upstream in the process as possible. By including capacity building in source countries, pre-migration medical screening has the potential to become an integral component of public health promotion, as well as infection and disease prevention, in migrant-receiving nations, while simultaneously increasing capabilities in countries of origin. This article describes the collaborative experiences of five countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States of America, members of the Immigration and Refugee Health Working Group [IRHWG]), with similar pre-migration screening programmes for TB that are mandated. Qualitative examples of capacity building through IRHWG programmes are provided. Combined, the IRHWG member countries screen approximately 2 million persons overseas every year. Large-scale pre-entry screening programmes undertaken by IRHWG countries require building additional capacity for health care providers, radiology facilities and laboratories. This has resulted in significant improvements in laboratory and treatment capacity, providing availability of these facilities for national public health programmes. As long as global health disparities and disease prevalence differentials exist, national public health programmes and policies in migrant-receiving nations will continue to be challenged to manage the diseases prevalent in these migrating populations. National TB programmes and regulatory systems alone will not be able to achieve TB elimination. The management of health issues resulting from population mobility will require integration of national and global health initiatives which, as demonstrated here, can be supported through the capacity-building endeavours of pre-migration screening programmes.

Identifying and managing TB in immigrating populations has been an important aspect of immigration health for over a century, with the primary aim being protecting the host population by preventing the import of communicable diseases carried by the arriving migrants. This review describes the history and development of screening for TB and latent TB infection in the immigration context (describing both screening strategies and diagnostic tests used over the last century), outlining current practices and considering the future impact of new advances in screening. The recent focus of the WHO, regarding their elimination strategy, is further increasing the importance of diagnosing and treating latent TB infection. The last section of this review discusses the latest public health developments in the context of TB screening in immigrant populations.

Objective. Tuberculosis control in foreign-born populations is a major public health concern for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States, large immigrant- and refugee-receiving countries that comprise the Immigration and Refugee Health Working Group (IRHWG). Identifying and comparing immigration and distribution of foreign-born tuberculosis cases are important for developing targeted and collaborative interventions.Methods. Data stratified by year and country of birth from 2005 to 2009 were received from these five countries. Immigration totals, tuberculosis case totals, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) case totals from source countries were analyzed and compared to reveal similarities and differences for each member of the group.Results. Between 2005 and 2009, there were a combined 31,785,002 arrivals, 77,905 tuberculosis cases, and 888 MDR TB cases notified at the federal level in the IRHWG countries. India, China, Vietnam, and the Philippines accounted for 41.4% of the total foreign-born tuberculosis cases and 42.7% of the foreign-born MDR tuberculosis cases to IRHWG.Interpretation. Collaborative efforts across a small number of countries have the potential to yield sizeable gains in tuberculosis control for these large immigrant- and refugee-receiving countries.

U.S. immigration regulations require clinical and serologic screening for syphilis for all U.S.-bound refugees 15 years of age and older. We reviewed syphilis screening results for all U.S.-bound refugees from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2013. We calculated age-adjusted prevalence by region and nationality and assessed factors associated with syphilis seropositivity using multivariable log binomial regression models. Among 233,446 refugees, we identified 874 syphilis cases (373 cases per 100,000 refugees). The highest overall age-adjusted prevalence rates of syphilis seropositivity were observed among refugees from Africa (1340 cases per 100,000), followed by East Asia and the Pacific (397 cases per 100,000). In most regions, male sex, increasing age, and living in non-refugee camp settings were associated with syphilis seropositivity. Future analysis of test results, stage of infection, and treatment delivery overseas is warranted in order to determine the extent of transmission risk and benefits of the screening program.

Background. Schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis cause substantial morbidity and mortality among hundreds of millions of infected persons worldwide. In the United States, these infections are most commonly found among international travelers, immigrants, and refugees from areas of endemicity. Refugees resettled to the United States since 2000 include >3800 "Lost Boys and Girls" of Sudan and 8000 Somali Bantu. Many Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan reported chronic abdominal pain only since arrival, and some received diagnoses of schistosomiasis or strongyloidiasis. We assessed seroprevalence of these infections among these refugees and hypothesized an association between infection and abdominal pain. Methods. We offered a survey assessing chronic abdominal pain and serologic testing for schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis to all 800 attendees of a Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan reunion in the United States. Serologic testing was performed on preimmigration specimens obtained from 100 United States-bound Somali Bantu refugees. Results. Of the 462 Sudanese refugees (58%) tested, 44% and 46% were seropositive for schistosomiasis (primarily due to Schistosoma mansoni) and strongyloidiasis, respectively; 24% of those who tested positive for schistosomiasis had S. mansoni antigenemia. Forty-six percent reported chronic abdominal pain, which was not associated with either infection. Among 100 Somali Bantu, 73% and 23% tested seropositive for schistosomiasis (primarily due to Schistosoma haematobium) and strongyloidiasis, respectively. Conclusions. The high seroprevalence of schistosomiasis and strongyloidiasis among Sudanese Lost Boys and Girls and Somali Bantu refugees supports presumptive treatment for these refugees. Current refugee resettlement policies inadequately address these diseases; our data support consideration of predeparture presumptive therapy for all refugees from areas of endemicity.

IntroductionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering implementation of overseas medical screening of student-visa applicants to reduce the numbers of active tuberculosis cases entering the United States.ObjectiveTo evaluate the costs, cases averted, and cost-effectiveness of screening for, and treating, tuberculosis in United States-bound students from countries with varying tuberculosis prevalence.MethodsCosts and benefits were evaluated from two perspectives, combined and United States only. The combined perspective totaled overseas and United States costs and benefits from a societal perspective. The United States only perspective was a domestic measure of costs and benefits. A decision tree was developed to determine the cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis screening and treatment from the combined perspective.ResultsFrom the United States only perspective, overseas screening programs of Chinese and Indian students would prevent the importation of 157 tuberculosis cases annually, and result in $2.7 million in savings. From the combined perspective, screening programs for Chinese students would cost more than $2.8 million annually and screening programs for Indian students nearly $440,000 annually. From the combined perspective, the incremental cost for each tuberculosis case averted by screening Chinese and Indian students was $22,187 and $15,063, respectively. Implementing screening programs for German students would prevent no cases in most years, and would result in increased costs both overseas and in the United States. The domestic costs would occur because public health departments would need to follow up on students identified overseas as having an elevated risk of tuberculosis.ConclusionsTuberculosis screening and treatment programs for students seeking long term visas to attend United States schools would reduce the number of tuberculosis cases imported. Implementing screening in high-incidence countries could save the United States millions of dollars annually; however there would be increased costs incurred overseas for students and their families.

Before 2007, immigrants and refugees bound for the United States were screened for tuberculosis (TB) by a smear-based algorithm that could not diagnose smear-negative/culture-positive TB. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented a culture-based algorithm.To evaluate the effect of the culture-based algorithm on preventing the importation of TB to the United States by immigrants and refugees from foreign countries.Population-based, cross-sectional study.Panel physician sites for overseas medical examination.Immigrants and refugees with TB.Comparison of the increase of smear-negative/culture-positive TB cases diagnosed overseas among immigrants and refugees by the culture-based algorithm with the decline of reported cases among foreign-born persons within 1 year after arrival in the United States from 2007 to 2012.Of the 3 212 421 arrivals of immigrants and refugees from 2007 to 2012, a total of 1 650 961 (51.4%) were screened by the smear-based algorithm and 1 561 460 (48.6%) were screened by the culture-based algorithm. Among the 4032 TB cases diagnosed by the culture-based algorithm, 2195 (54.4%) were smear-negative/culture-positive. Before implementation (2002 to 2006), the annual number of reported cases among foreign-born persons within 1 year after arrival was relatively constant (range, 1424 to 1626 cases; mean, 1504 cases) but decreased from 1511 to 940 cases during implementation (2007 to 2012). During the same period, the annual number of smear-negative/culture-positive TB cases diagnosed overseas among immigrants and refugees bound for the United States by the culture-based algorithm increased from 4 to 629.This analysis did not control for the decline in new arrivals of nonimmigrant visitors to the United States and the decrease of incidence of TB in their countries of origin.Implementation of the culture-based algorithm may have substantially reduced the incidence of TB among newly arrived, foreign-born persons in the United States.None.

BACKGROUND Although influenza is common among children, pediatric mortality related to laboratory-confirmed influenza has not been assessed nationally. METHODS During the 2003-2004 influenza season, we requested that state health departments report any death associated with laboratory-confirmed influenza in a U.S. resident younger than 18 years of age. Case reports, medical records, and autopsy reports were reviewed, and available influenza-virus isolates were analyzed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS One hundred fifty-three influenza-associated deaths among children were reported by 40 state health departments. The median age of the children was three years, and 96 of them (63 percent) were younger than five years old. Forty-seven of the children (31 percent) died outside a hospital setting, and 45 (29 percent) died within three days after the onset of illness. Bacterial coinfections were identified in 24 of the 102 children tested (24 percent). Thirty-three percent of the children had an underlying condition recognized to increase the risk of influenza-related complications, and 20 percent had other chronic conditions; 47 percent had previously been healthy. Chronic neurologic or neuromuscular conditions were present in one third. The mortality rate was highest among children younger than six months of age (0.88 per 100,000 children; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.39 per 100,000). CONCLUSIONS A substantial number of influenza-associated deaths occurred among U.S. children during the 2003-2004 influenza season. High priority should be given to improvements in influenza-vaccine coverage and improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of influenza to reduce childhood mortality from influenza.

For more than two decades, as the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases overall in the United States has declined, the proportion of cases among foreign-born persons has increased. In 2013, the percentage of TB cases among those born outside the country was 64.6%. To address this trend, CDC has developed strategies to identify and treat TB in U.S.-bound immigrants and refugees overseas. Each year, approximately 450,000 persons are admitted to the United States on an immigrant visa, and 50,000-70,000 are admitted as refugees. Applicants for either an immigrant visa or refugee status are required to undergo a medical examination overseas before being allowed to travel to the United States. CDC is the federal agency with regulatory oversight of the overseas medical examination, and panel physicians appointed by the U.S. Department of State perform the examinations in accordance with Technical Instructions (TI) provided by CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ). Beginning in 1991, the algorithm for TB TI relied on chest radiographs for applicants aged ≥15 years, followed by sputum smears for those with findings suggestive of TB; no additional diagnostics were used. In 2007, CDC issued enhanced standards for TB diagnosis and treatment, including the addition of sputum cultures (which are more sensitive than smears) as a diagnostic tool and treatment delivered as directly observed therapy (DOT). This report summarizes worldwide implementation of the new screening requirements since 2007. In 2012, the year for which the most recent data are available, 60% of the TB cases diagnosed were in persons with smear-negative, but culture-positive, test results. The results demonstrate that rigorous diagnostic and treatment programs can be implemented in areas with high TB incidence overseas.

Taiwan used quarantine as 1 of numerous interventions implemented to control the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003. From March 18 to July 31, 2003, 147 526 persons were placed under quarantine. Quarantining only persons with known exposure to people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome could have reduced the number of persons quarantined by approximately 64%. Focusing quarantine efforts on persons with known or suspected exposure can greatly decrease the number of persons placed under quarantine, without substantially compromising its yield and effectiveness.

Surveillance of measles virus detected an epidemiologic link between a refugee from Kenya and a Dutch tourist in New Jersey, USA. Identical genotype B3 sequences from patients with contemporaneous cases in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in November and December 2005 indicate that Kenya was likely to have been the common source of virus.

The effect of diarrhea on oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) failure was evaluated using data from Brazil, where 728 infants were immunized at birth (OPV1) and approximately 6 (OPV2), 10 (OPV3), and 14 (OPV4) weeks. Recent diarrhea history was significantly associated with increased vaccine failure only after OPV2 for poliovirus types 2 and 3. In multivariate models, controlling for breast feeding, season of vaccine administration (type 3 only), maternal antibody (type 3 only), and immunization campaign exposure (type 3 only) strengthened this effect. Diarrhea at OPV receipt was associated with vaccine failure to poliovirus types 1 and 3 only after OPV2. These data support the current recommendation that children with diarrhea receive OPV and be reimmunized once their illness resolves. Expanding this recommendation to include children with a recent diarrhea history should be considered. While the effect of diarrhea on vaccine failure may be limited to OPV2, programmatic realities may preclude dose-specific recommendations.

Approximately 450,000 legal permanent immigrants and 75,000 refugees enter the United States annually after receiving required medical examinations by overseas panel physicians (physicians who follow the CDC medical screening guidelines provided to the U.S. Department of State). CDC has the regulatory responsibility for preventing the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases into the United States as well as for developing the guidelines, known as technical instructions, for the overseas medical examinations. Other conditions that are not infectious might preclude an immigrant or refugee from entering the United States and also are reported as part of the medical examination. After arrival in the United States, all refugees are recommended to obtain a medical assessment by a health-care provider or a health department within 30 days. In addition, immigrants with certain medical conditions such as noninfectious tuberculosis at the time of the original medical examination are recommended to be evaluated after arrival to ensure that appropriate prevention or treatment measures are instituted. Health departments need timely and accurate notifications of newly arriving immigrants, refugees, and persons with other visa types to facilitate these evaluations. Notifications for all newly arriving refugees (with or without medical conditions) and immigrants with medical conditions are provided by CDC's Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system. This is the first report describing EDN.This report summarizes notifications by the EDN system during January-December 2009.The EDN system is a centralized electronic reporting system that collects health information on newly arriving refugees and immigrants with Class A and Class B medical conditions. Class A conditions render applicants inadmissible and require a waiver for entry; Class B conditions are admissible but might require treatment or follow-up. Information in the EDN system is used to notify state health departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia about the arrival of these persons in the United States.In 2009, the EDN system notified U.S. state and local health departments of 104,954 newly arriving refugees and immigrants, of whom 78,899 (75.2%) were refugees (with or without medical conditions), 19,358 (18.4%) were immigrants with medical conditions, and 6,697 (6.4%) were persons with other visa types. Of the 78,899 refugees, 21,319 (27%) had a medical condition. The majority (93.4%) of immigrants with medical conditions had tuberculosis classifications (i.e., either had evidence of latent tuberculosis infection or chest radiograph findings interpreted by the overseas panel physician as consistent with tuberculosis). Of the 41,415 refugees and immigrants with Class A or Class B medical conditions, 405 (1%) had Class A conditions, and 40,994 (99%) had Class B conditions. The majority of refugees and immigrants with suspected Class B tuberculosis were born in the Philippines (41.3%), Mexico (12.1%), Burma (8.7%), Vietnam (7.8%), and the Dominican Republic (5.8%). The majority of refugee notifications were for persons born in Iraq (23.9%), Burma (18.9%), and Bhutan (15.1%). Approximately one third of the tuberculosis notifications were sent to health departments in California (20.5%), Texas (9.8%), and New York (6.3%), and the national reporting rate for tuberculosis follow-up was 75.4% within 30 days of arrival.The findings in this report suggest that 1) overseas medical screening results in a low frequency (0.4%) of inadmissible medical conditions in the United States, 2) the EDN system provides more direct notifications to health departments than the previous paper-based system about newly arriving immigrants and refugees who need medical follow-up, and 3) approximately 75% of follow-up occurs among persons with suspected tuberculosis who are reported to EDN by states receiving newly arriving refugees and immigrants.The data in this report can be used to help state and local health departments provide prompt and effective follow-up, evaluation, and treatment to newly arriving immigrants and refugees. Timely follow-up might prevent additional spread of tuberculosis or other communicable diseases of public health significance into their communities. In addition, information from the EDN system allows health departments to use their resources as effectively as possible by providing clinical information that identifies the refugees and immigrants who should be prioritized for evaluation and treatment.

SETTING: Importation of infectious tuberculosis (TB) threatens TB control in California and the United States. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of an enhanced pre-immigration screening and treatment protocol to prevent the importation of infectious TB. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of immigrants ≥15 years of age with TB suspect classifications who were screened for TB in their countries of origin before (pre-intervention cohort) and after (post-intervention cohort) implementation of enhanced pre-immigration screening. Enhanced pre-immigration screening added sputum cultures to the existing screening system based on sputum smears for persons with abnormal chest radiographs. RESULTS: The pre- and post-intervention cohorts included respectively 2049 and 1430 immigrants. The occurrence of tuberculosis ≤6 months after US arrival in this population decreased following the intervention, from 4.2% (86 cases) to 1.5% (22 cases, P < 0.001). Among pre-intervention cohort cases, 14% were sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-positive and 81% were sputum culture-positive for TB, compared with 5 % sputum AFB smear-positive (P = 0.46) and 68% sputum culture-positive (P = 0.18) among the post-intervention cohort cases. CONCLUSION: The enhanced pre-immigration screening was associated with a decline in the proportion of immigrants with TB suspect classifications identified with TB within 6 months of arrival in the United States. Continued state and national surveillance is critical to monitor the effectiveness of the revised pre-immigration screening as it is implemented in additional countries.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) in migrants is an ongoing challenge in several low TB incidence countries since a large proportion of TB in these countries occurs in migrants from high incidence countries. To meet these challenges, several countries utilize TB screening programs. The programs attempt to identify and treat those with active and/or infectious stages of the disease. In addition, screening is used to identify and manage those with latent or inactive disease after arrival. Between nations, considerable variation exists in the methods used in migration-associated TB screening. The present study aimed to compare the TB immigration medical examination requirements in selected countries of high immigration and low TB incidence rates. METHODS: Descriptive study of immigration TB screening programs. RESULTS: 16 out of 18 eligible countries responded to the written standardized survey and phone interview. Comparisons in specific areas of TB immigration screening programs included authorities responsible for TB screening, the primary objectives of the TB screening program, the yield of detection of active TB disease, screening details and aspects of follow up for inactive pulmonary TB. No two countries had the same approach to TB screening among migrants. Important differences, common practices, common problems, evidence or lack of evidence for program specifics were noted. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of common goals, there is great diversity in the processes and practices designed to mitigate the impact of migration-associated TB among nations that screen migrants for the disease. The long-term goal in decreasing migration-related introduction of TB from high to low incidence countries remains diminishing the prevalence of the disease in those high incidence locations. In the meantime, existing or planned migration screening programs for TB can be made more efficient and evidenced based. Cooperation among countries doing research in the areas outlined in this study should facilitate the development of improved screening programs. The study was funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript. The corresponding author has obtained approval from CIC to publish this paper. This paper represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada or the Government of Canada. This paper does not represent the views of any of the Governments or Ministries affiliated with the authors of this study and represents solely the views of the authors. Dr. S. Miyano contributed to the acquisition of the data and as such we feel he is entitled to authorship but, despite our extensive efforts, we were unable to contact him to approve the final content of this manuscript and his authorship. Therefore, we acknowledge his contribution here. Sí