Reporting of Latent TB Infection Among Non-US-Born Persons Adjusting Their Immigration Status to Permanent Residents: An Opportunity to Enhance TB Prevention.

From October 15, 2019, to June 12, 2020, Public Health-Seattle & King County conducted phone outreach to individuals referred to the public health department by civil surgeons. The objective was to explore common barriers and facilitators to treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among this population. Civil surgeons are mandated to report cases of LTBI to the state or local health department. Outreach revealed a wide variation in patient understanding of LTBI and provider practices around discussing LTBI and recommending LTBI treatment. The results of this small-scale study can inform public health strategies to engage with civil surgeons and their patients to both improve reporting practices and increase rates of LTBI treatment completion in patients born in high TB burden countries. In addition, these findings provide insight into what challenges and opportunities may emerge when health jurisdictions mandate LTBI reporting at a state or county level.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
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