Minnesota refugees diagnosed with tuberculosis disease, January 1993-August 2019

Background Refugees are screened for TB overseas using Technical Instructions (TIs) issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and after arrival during their refugee health assessment (RHA). We examined RHA results and TB outcomes of refugees to Minnesota. Methods Demographic and RHA results for 70,290 refugee arrivals to Minnesota from January 1993 to August 2019 were matched to 3595 non-U.S. born individuals diagnosed with TB disease during that time. Results Seven hundred fifty-nine (1.1%) were diagnosed with TB disease. Fifty-four percent were diagnosed within 2 years of U.S. arrival. Refugees screened using TIs implemented in 1991 were twice as likely to be diagnosed with TB disease within 1 year of arrival, compared to those evaluated using improved TIs implemented in 2007. Conclusion Few refugees were diagnosed with TB disease during the period examined. Enhancements to overseas protocols significantly reduced the proportion of refugees diagnosed within 1 year of arrival.

Automated summary

The study found that the proportion of refugees diagnosed with TB disease significantly reduced after screening using improved overseas protocols.