Factors associated with latent tuberculosis among international migrants in Brazil: a cross-sectional study (2020)

Sonia Vivian De Jezus,Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio,Miguel Angel López Aragón,Raphael Florindo Amorim,Ethel Leonor Noia Maciel,Keila Cristina Mascarello,Carolina Maia Martins Sales,Maysa Mabel Fauth,Nahari De Faria Marcos Terena,Vania Maria Silva Araujo,Thiago Nascimento Do Prado

doi:10.1186/s12879-021-06227-z

Abstract

BackgroundMigrants are a high priority group for TB control measures due to their high exposure to risk factors such as poverty and social vulnerability. The study aimed to identify factors associated with latent TB among international migrants living in four Brazilian state capitals.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in September and October 2020 in a sample of 903 international migrants living in four Brazilian state capitals: Boa Vista/RR (458), Manaus/AM (136), São Paulo/SP (257), and Curitiba/PR (52). Data were collected with a questionnaire consisting of open and closed questions on personal characteristics, information on TB, and use of preventive measures. Tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed, with reading after 72 h by trained nurses and using 5 mm induration as the positive cutoff. Chi-square test (X2) and Fisher's exact test, both two-tailed, were used to compare statistically significant levels of association between the migrants´ sociodemographic characteristics, vulnerability, and latent TB infection (LTBI). Binary logistic regression was applied to calculate odds ratios and respective 95% confidence intervals. For all the tests, type I error of 5% was defined as statistically significant (p < 0.05).ResultsPrevalence of LTBI among migrants was 46.1% in Manaus/AM, 33.3% in São Paulo/SP, 28.1% in Curitiba/PR, and 23.5% in Boa Vista/RR. Factors associated with latent infection were age, male gender, and brown or indigenous race.ConclusionsThe study showed high prevalence of latent TB among international migrants.

Highlights

With a focus for the first time on the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, heads of state and representatives met on September 26th, 2018, at the United Nations headquarters in New York and reaffirmed the commitment to end the global TB epidemic by 2030
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the Political Declaration of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the Fight Against Tuberculosis, they acknowledged the importance of appropriate prioritization of risk groups and other vulnerable persons [1]
Among migrants who reported a history of TB, the majority had the disease more than 3 years before and in their home countries

Summary

Introduction

With a focus for the first time on the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, heads of state and representatives met on September 26th, 2018, at the United Nations headquarters in New York and reaffirmed the commitment to end the global TB epidemic by 2030. International migration has reached high levels, with a 49% increase from 2000 to 2019, from 173 million to 272 million persons. This process has been accompanied by a change in the profile of migrants due to the new countries of destination, in addition to the larger proportion of women and children [3, 4], becoming a priority health issue in the Americas considering the unorganized and intensive migratory processes from Central America to North America (Mexico, United States, and Canada) and from Venezuela to the neighboring countries in South America and the Caribbean [4]. The study aimed to identify factors associated with latent TB among international migrants living in four Brazilian state capitals

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Results

Conclusion