Screening would-be immigrants for TB saves U.S. millions
CDC recommendations mean detection, treatment prior to arrival
U.S. health departments are saving an estimated $15 million in treating TB among immigrants to the U.S., thanks to CDC recommendations that people be screened for the disease prior to their arrival in the country.
In 2012, overseas physicians identified more than 1,100 cases of tuberculosis, including 14 cases of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, according to a CDC report. Due to screening changes that require newer, more sensitive sputum-culture tests, about 60 percent of the cases – about 660 cases plus the 14 MDR TB cases - would not previously have been detected and treated prior to coming to the United States.