TY - JOUR
T1 - Intensified case-finding for latent tuberculosis infection among the baltimore city hispanic population
AU - Desale, Meghana
AU - Bringardner, Patrick
AU - Fitzgerald, Sheila
AU - Page, Kathleen
AU - Shah, Maunank
PY - 2013/8
Y1 - 2013/8
N2 - Foreign-born immigrants are at high risk for latent TB infection (LTBI). In conjunction with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD), student volunteers conducted intensified LTBI case-finding (ICF) using tuberculin skin testing (TST) in the Hispanic community from 2006-2010. We sought to determine the yield of ICF and estimate the LTBI prevalence. Retrospective cross-sectional study. Among 478 individuals screened, 164 (34.3 %) had a positive TST, 227 (47.5 %) had a negative TST, and 87 (18.2 %) did not return. Among those who completed screening, the prevalence of LTBI was 164/391 (41.9, 95 % CI 0.37-0.47). ICF referrals accounted for 4.4 % of all LTBI referrals to BCHD and for 41 % of referrals among Hispanics. We found a high rate of undiagnosed LTBI within the Hispanic community. This student-run ICF program accounted for almost half of all LTBI cases among Hispanics. Community resources are needed to target this high-risk population.
AB - Foreign-born immigrants are at high risk for latent TB infection (LTBI). In conjunction with the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD), student volunteers conducted intensified LTBI case-finding (ICF) using tuberculin skin testing (TST) in the Hispanic community from 2006-2010. We sought to determine the yield of ICF and estimate the LTBI prevalence. Retrospective cross-sectional study. Among 478 individuals screened, 164 (34.3 %) had a positive TST, 227 (47.5 %) had a negative TST, and 87 (18.2 %) did not return. Among those who completed screening, the prevalence of LTBI was 164/391 (41.9, 95 % CI 0.37-0.47). ICF referrals accounted for 4.4 % of all LTBI referrals to BCHD and for 41 % of referrals among Hispanics. We found a high rate of undiagnosed LTBI within the Hispanic community. This student-run ICF program accounted for almost half of all LTBI cases among Hispanics. Community resources are needed to target this high-risk population.
KW - Hispanic
KW - Intensified case-finding
KW - Latent tuberculosis
KW - Tuberculosis
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U2 - 10.1007/s10903-012-9692-5
DO - 10.1007/s10903-012-9692-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 22825465
AN - SCOPUS:84880164379
SN - 1557-1912
VL - 15
SP - 680
EP - 685
JO - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
JF - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
IS - 4
ER -