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Should compulsory screening of immigrants be part of UK public health policy?
February 05, 2004The UK government may be considering compulsory screening of immigrants for tuberculosis and HIV, yet compulsory screening is not based on adequate evidence and has practical and ethical problems, argues a senior doctor in this week's BMJ.
Little evidence exists to show that early detection of tuberculosis in foreign born individuals conveys appreciable public health benefit to those born in the host country, writes Richard Coker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Indeed, what little evidence exists suggests that the introduction of compulsory measures may mean that some patients may delay seeking care and pose a greater public health threat.
HIV raises several important practical and ethical questions, he adds. For instance, would such a policy focus on all migrants, immigrants from high prevalence countries, asylum seekers, or some as yet unspecified population? And what about people from within the European Union who are able to move freely?
Furthermore, if a positive HIV status excludes an individual from entry (as has been proposed) then might such a screening policy create incentives to avoid legal routes of entry?
The United Kingdom has an enviable reputation in international public health, says the author. It would be a shame if this reputation was tarnished through an ill considered conflation of immigration control and communicable disease control.
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
HIV raises several important practical and ethical questions, he adds. For instance, would such a policy focus on all migrants, immigrants from high prevalence countries, asylum seekers, or some as yet unspecified population? And what about people from within the European Union who are able to move freely?
Furthermore, if a positive HIV status excludes an individual from entry (as has been proposed) then might such a screening policy create incentives to avoid legal routes of entry?
The United Kingdom has an enviable reputation in international public health, says the author. It would be a shame if this reputation was tarnished through an ill considered conflation of immigration control and communicable disease control.
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Tuberculosis Current Events and Tuberculosis News RSSMultiple health concerns surface as winter, vitamin D deficiences arrive
A string of recent discoveries about the multiple health benefits of vitamin D has renewed interest in this multi-purpose nutrient, increased awareness of the huge numbers of people who are deficient in it, spurred research and even led to an appreciation of it as "nature's antibiotic."
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Combination drug therapy has become a staple for treating many infections. For instance, doctors treat extensively drug resistant forms of tuberculosis with one drug that breaks down the pathogen's protective barriers and opens the door for another to deliver the deathblow.
Drug industry, nonprofits join forces to fight world's neglected diseases
Drug companies and nonprofit organizations are joining forces to develop new drugs and vaccines to target so-called "neglected" diseases that claim millions of lives in the developing world each year.
U.S. and European Experts Applaud Creation of New Transatlantic Task Force on Global Antibiotic Resistance Threat
Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide.
1930s drug slows tumor growth
Drugs sometimes have beneficial side effects. A glaucoma treatment causes luscious eyelashes. A blood pressure drug also aids those with a rare genetic disease.
There's a speed limit to the pace of evolution, Penn biologists say
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a theoretical model that informs the understanding of evolution and determines how quickly an organism will evolve using a catalogue of "evolutionary speed limits."
Cell phones become handheld tools for global development
Mobile phones are on the verge of becoming powerful tools to collect data on many issues, ranging from global health to the environment.
Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?
This week, the Public Library of Science, an open-access publisher, presents the "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease," a collection of essays, perspectives, and reviews that explores how genomics-with all its associated tools and techniques-can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease.
Exon-skipping drug prevents muscle wasting, maintains muscle function in dystrophin deficient mice
An exon skipping PPMO has demonstrated dramatic effects in the prevention and treatment of severely affected, dystrophin and utrophin-deficient mice, preventing severe deterioration of the treated animals and extending their lifespan.
Scientists take step toward simple and portable tuberculosis tests for developing world
Two billion people worldwide carry the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB), and most of them do not even know they are infected. This is because some 90 percent of people with TB have "latent" infections. They have no symptoms, they can't spread the disease to others and the bug remains dormant in their lungs -- often for years.
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The White Plague: Tuberculosis, Man and Society by Jean Dubos (Author) |
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Tuberculosis: A Comprehensive Clinical Reference by H. Simon Schaaf MBChB(Stellenbosch) MMed Paed(Stellenbosch) DCM(Stellenbosch) MD Paed(Stellenbosch) (Editor), Alimuddin I. Zumla BSc MBChB MSc PhD(Lond) FRCP(Lond) FRCP(Edin) (Editor) This book provides all the vital information you need to know about tuberculosis, especially in the face of drug-resistant strains of the disease. Coverage includes which patient populations face an elevated risk of infection, as well as which therapies are appropriate and how to correctly monitor ongoing treatment so that patients are cured. Properly administer screening tests, interpret their results, and identify manifestations of the disease, with authoritative guidance from expert clinicians from around the world. Discusses screening tests for tuberculosis so you can interpret their results and identify not only common manifestations of the disease, but also those that are comparatively rare-such as tuberculosis in pregnant women. Covers all clinical aspects of tuberculosis... |
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The Forgotten Plague: How the Battle Against Tuberculosis Was Won - And Lost by Frank Ryan (Author) Tuberculosis has claimed more than a billion lives worldwide. In this acclaimed book, Dr. Frank Ryan tells the remarkable story of the dedicated doctors, chemists, and bacteriologists who halted the course of this ferocious disease--until the "old enemy" found in AIDS a deadly ally to form a drug-resistant synergy. 8 pages of photos. |
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Tuberculosis (TUBERCULOSIS ( ROM)) by William N Rom (Editor), Stuart M Garay (Editor) New York Univ., NY. Summarizes the current advances in tuberculosis and discusses the pathology and pathogenesis of the disease. Also covers complications and treatment options. Chapters include history and epidemiology, genomics and microbiology, host response, therapy, and prevention and control. Previous edition: c1996. DNLM: Tuberculosis--Pulmonary. |
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The Bioarchaeology of Tuberculosis: A Global View on a Reemerging Disease by CHARLOTTE ROBERTS (Author), JANE BUIKSTRA (Author) Though apparently in decline during the first half of the 20th century, tuberculosis has reawakened in both developed and developing countries, particularly among susceptible populations with immunodeficiency disorders. |
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Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis by Thomas M. Daniel (Author) The dramatic story of tuberculosis is told here in a straightforward and accessible style. It presents the stories of persons connected with the disease, either as victims, or as those who made contributions to our knowledge of it; in addition to these personal accounts, the book unfolds the history and explains the pathogenesis of TB. The re-emergence of tuberculosis as a major American public health hazard has focused much attention on this ancient disease. This book offers a comprehensive account of the disease from prehistoric times through to the present day, detailing the attempts to eradicate it completely. Its four separate sections (the spread of tuberculosis; its infectious nature; susceptibility to it; and methods of treatment) are linked through the device of presenting... |
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Handbook of Tuberculosis by Stefan H. E. Kaufmann (Editor), Paul van Helden (Editor), Eric Rubin (Editor), Warwick J. Britton (Editor) Tuberculosis (TB), a deadly airborne disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, takes the lives of almost 2 million people each year and is considered to be the most common infectious disease in the world. However, thanks to the efforts of researchers such as the volumes’ lead editor, Dr. Stefan H. E. Kaufmann, there have been several recent advances in fighting the disease. Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, the Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Charité at the Humboldt University, Berlin, has published more than 600 scientific articles and currently serves as President of the European Federation of Immunological Societies and Chair of the Immunology Division of the American... |
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The Return of the White Plague: Global Poverty and the 'New' Tuberculosis by Matthew Gandy (Editor), Alimuddin Zumla (Editor) The dramatic increase since the 1980s in the global prevalence of tuberculosis, a disease destined as recently as thirty years ago for complete eradication, is a story of medical failure. A pandemic whose geography defies simple categorization—it ranges from schools in the UK to prisons in Russia, from refugee camps in central Africa to affluent suburbs in North America—the 'new' tuberculosis is derived from a combination of different developments such as collapsing health-care services, shifting patterns of poverty and inequality, the spread of HIV, and the emergence of virulent drug-resistant strains. This collection provides an international survey of current thought on the spread and control of tuberculosis, covering historical, social, political, and medical aspects. While... |
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Tuberculosis (Twenty-First Century Medical Library) by Diane Yancey (Author) One of the deadliest diseases healthcare workers fight today, tuberculosis (often called TB) infects the lungs of one-third of the world's population and kills about 2 million people a year. While scientific breakthroughs brought this bacterial disease under control during the 1960s to the 1980s, it was never completely eliminated. In the early 1990s, TB came back as a serious global threat. Not only has TB now spread to virtually every country on Earth, new strains of TB--which are resistant to the standard antibiotics used to cure it--have appeared. Learn what causes TB, how it spreads, why it is so difficult to treat, and more in this informative volume. |
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A Clinician's Guide to Tuberculosis by Michael D Iseman (Author) Univ. of Colorado, Denver. Clinical synopsis providing essential information for those unfamiliar with the disease. Addresses the problem of managing HIV-positive patients and drug-resistant strains. Discusses, basic science, epidemiology, transmission, vaccination, and prevention. Includes tables, references, and illustrations. Softcover. DNLM: Tuberculosis. |
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