RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Minimum Package for Cross-Border TB Control and Care in the WHO European Region: a Wolfheze Consensus Statement
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP erj00530-2012
DO 10.1183/09031936.00053012
A1 M Dara
A1 P de Colombani
A1 R Petrova-Benedict
A1 R Centis
A1 JP Zellweger
A1 A Sandgren
A1 E Heldal
A1 G Sotgiu
A1 N Jansen
A1 R Bahtijarevic
A1 GB Migliori
A1 on behalf of the members of the Wolfheze Transborder Migration Task Force*
YR 2012
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2012/09/27/09031936.00053012.abstract
AB The World Health Organization (WHO) European Region estimates that more than 400,000 tuberculosis (TB) cases occur in Europe, a large proportion of them among migrants.A coordinated public health mechanism to guarantee TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care across borders is not in place. A consensus paper describing the minimum package of cross-border TB control and care was prepared by a Task Force following a literature review and the inputs from the National TB Control Programme managers of the WHO European Region and the Wolfheze 2011 Conference.A literature review focused on the subject of TB in migrants was carried out, selecting documents published during the eleven-year period 2001–2011.Several issues were identified in cross-border TB control and care, varying from the limited access to early TB diagnosis, to the lack of continuity of care and information during migration, and the availability of, and access to, health services in the new country.The recommended minimum package addresses the current shortcoming and intends to improve the situation by covering several areas: political commitment (including the implementation of a legal framework for TB cross-border collaboration), financial mechanisms, and adequate health service delivery (prevention, infection control, contact management, diagnosis and treatment, psychosocial support).