72 research outputs found
Breaking the barriers: Migrants and tuberculosis
No full textTuberculosis (TB) can represent an important clinical and public health in developing and developed countries. Low- and middle-income countries are facing an epidemic which is difficult to address because of the drug-resistance spread and the association of TB with HIV/AIDS. High-income countries, whose TB incidence has decreased in the last decades, can be involved in new TB epidemic waves owing to social, healthcare, and economic hurdles and challenges. In particular, migrants coming from high TB incidence countries can represent a new epidemiological issue in the TB care and control in geographical areas where primary care and specialized centres are not equipped to face the clinical and public health issues associated with the TB disease. The healthcare management of individuals with a latent TB infection or the TB disease is heterogeneous and different policies are in place in Europe, and, specifically, in EU countries. Scientific evidence on how to early and efficiently detect TB cases is missing, as well as diagnostic tools to diagnose those who have latent TB infection do not show adequate accuracy. Countries like Greece and Italy have political difficulties in the management of migrants and the poor living conditions in the migration centres can increase the probability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission. A clear advocacy and political commitment are urgently required. The current migration trends represent a threat from a human and a healthcare perspective. New homogeneous and target-oriented policies and strategies are needed to improve the health of the migrant and of the autochthonous populations. Editorial World Tuberculosis Day 2017: strengthening the fight against tuberculosis. I. Solovic (Slovakia) et al. Breaking the barriers: Migrants and tuberculosis. G. Sotgiu (Italy) et al. Tuberculosis elimination and the challenge of latent tuberculosis. A. Matteelli (Italy) et al., Italy The cursed duet today: Tuberculosis and HIV-coinfection. S. Tiberi (UK) et al. The challenge of the new tuberculosis drugs. S. Tiberi (UK) et al. Agents of change: The role of healthcare workers in the prevention of nosocomial and occupational tuberculosis. R. R. Nathavitharana (USA) et al
Standard operating procedures for tuberculosis care
Get PDFRecommendations to prioritise TB care, prevention and control, specifically among the most vulnerable populations
Migration, TB control and elimination: Whom to screen and treat
Get PDFTuberculosis (TB) in migrants represents an important clinical and public health threat, particularly in low TB incidence countries. The current review is aimed to assess issues related to screening and treatment of migrants with latent TB infection or TB disease. Keywords: TB migrants, TB elimination, TB control screenin
Call for urgent actions to ensure access to early diagnosis and care of tuberculosis among refugees
Get PDFCall for urgent actions to ensure access to early diagnosis and care of tuberculosis among refugees
No full textTuberculosis care among refugees arriving in Europe: a ERS/WHO Europe Region survey of current practices
Get PDFNo evidence exists on tuberculosis (TB) and latent TB infection (LTBI) management policies among refugees in European countries.
A questionnaire investigating screening and management practices among refugees was sent to 38 national TB programme representatives of low and intermediate TB incidence European countries/territories of the WHO European Region.
Out of 36 responding countries, 31 (86.1%) reported screening for active TB, 19 for LTBI, and eight (22.2%) reporting outcomes of LTBI treatment. Screening for TB is based on algorithms including different combinations of symptom-based questionnaires, bacteriology and chest radiography and LTBI screening on different combinations of tuberculin skin test and interferon-γ release assays. In 22 (61.1%) countries, TB and LTBI screening are performed in refugee centres. In 22 (61.1%) countries, TB services are organised in collaboration with the private sector. 27 (75%) countries answered that screening for TB is performed as per national and international guidelines, while 19 (52.7%) gave the same answer with regards to LTBI screening. Infection control measures are inadequate in several of the countries surveyed.
There is need for improved coordination of TB screening in Europe to implement the End TB Strategy and achieve TB elimination
Classical Against Molecular-Genetic Methods for Susceptibility Testing of Antituberculotics
No full textDrug resistance to anti-tuberculotics in children - three years status in Slovakia
No full textDrug resistant tuberculosis is a serious and increasing problem worldwide, particularly in countries with a high
incidence of tuberculosis and HIV infections. Resistant tuberculosis in children is usually due to the transmission
of resistant strains from the environment where they live. Most often it is a transfer from the parents, or other
relatives. A paucibacillary nature of the disease in children associated with difficulties in a collection of adequate
sputum samples means that the samples are often microscopically negative. If the cultivation is negative, any bacteriological
confirmation of the drug resistance is impossible.
The aim of this study was to review current diagnostic and therapeutic principles in tuberculosis in children and
to demonstrate its incidence in population of the Slovak Republic during 2010-2012.
We have retrospectively analyzed all children sputum samples from children with diagnosed tuberculosis in
Slovakia. The classical bacteriological analysis (culture on solid eggs-based media) was used to confirm the mycobacterium
tuberculosis infection and the proportion method was applied to test its susceptibility or resistance to
mostly used antituberculotics.
In years 2010-2012, three cases of resistant form of tuberculosis have been diagnosed in Slovakia among 16 children
with cultivation positive to tuberculosis. In all of the cases the INH mono-resistance was confirmed (with the
same strains present in their relatives), suggesting primary resistance origin of infection.
To ensure an appropriate and successful treatment of tuberculosis in children, accurate and timely diagnostics
and determination of susceptibility to anti-tuberculotics is essential
SAT0157 Mycobacterium tuberculosis specific responses from CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in patients with latent and active form of tuberculosis
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