Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the BCHD TB staff including Nicketta Paige, Barbara Johnson, Leona Mason, and Karla Alwood for their insights regarding the BCHD TB program and assistance with the Bienestar Baltimore program.
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Desale, M., Bringardner, P., Fitzgerald, S. et al. Intensified Case-Finding for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among the Baltimore City Hispanic Population. J Immigrant Minority Health 15, 680–685 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9692-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9692-5