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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

22 Percent of Resettled Refugees in Minnesota Test Positive for Tuberculosis

One of every five refugees resettled in Minnesota by the federal government tested positive for latent tuberculosis in 2014, according to the state’s Department of Health.

Only 4 percent of the general population in the United States tested positive for latent tuberculosis in the most recent report provided by the Centers for Disease Control.

The April 2016 edition of the Refugee Health Quarterly, published by the Minnesota Department of Health reports that:

Minnesota had 150 cases of TB in 2015, compared to 147 cases in 2014 (a 2 percent increase). The most common risk factor for TB cases in Minnesota is being from a country where TB is common.

TB screening is offered to all refugees during the domestic refugee health exam.

In 2014, 22 percent of refugees screened tested positive for LTBI (latent tuberculosis infection).
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good thing we vaccinate against it

Anonymous said...

The test is offered??! It should be mandatory and those with TB treated, as it's a public health threat.

Anonymous said...

There is no Vaccine for TB. IT is a bacterial infection, needs antibiotic to treat.

Anonymous said...

There is a vaccine, but it's not especially effective nor routinely used.