Prevalence of latent tuberculosis among refugee children in Malaysia

Abstract

IntroductionTuberculosis remains one of the top 10 major causes of global mortality, imposing social–economic and medical challenges in Malaysia. Refugees sheltered in Malaysia are a high-risk population but basic health checks upon their arrival, including tuberculosis screening, are not practised. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among refugee children in Malaysia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed in three refugee schools in the Klang Valley, Malaysia, using tuberculin skin tests or interferon-γ release assays. Participants who tested positive were sent for further examination with chest radiography to confirm the tuberculosis diagnosis.ResultsFrom April 2018 to April 2019, we screened 430 refugee children with a median age of 13.0 years. Most of the children were born in Myanmar (n=274, 63.7%) and Pakistan (n=60, 14.0%). No children were diagnosed with active tuberculosis but 55 of the children (12.8%) were diagnosed with LTBI. Children with LTBI were generally older (OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.71–5.29; p<0.001) than those without LTBI infection. Sex, history of bacille Calmette–Guérin vaccination and country of birth were not associated with increased risk of LTBI.ConclusionThe relatively high LTBI burden among refugee children in this study poses an indication of possible LTBI risk among this population nationwide, and thus would be an important group to target for preventive therapy. This provides a unique opportunity for researchers to further examine and implement well-structured preventive strategies in combating the endemic infectious disease in Malaysia.

Public health status of Myanmar refugees in South East Asia: A Malaysian case study

“…Myanmar is ranked as one of the top 30 countries with the highest levels of tuberculosis infections (Kanabus, 2021;WHO, 2020d). Several studies have shown high prevalences of latent infections in Myanmar and Rohingya refugees (Chaves et al, 2009;Jasmine et al, 2018;Wong & Lee, 2020), whereas levels of active infections were mainly low (Chaves et al, 2009;Jasmine et al, 2018).…”

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The Dynamics of Tuberculosis through BSEIR Model with Immigration in Malaysia

“…According to the data, the trend of new TB incidence cases was rising and slightly decrease in 2020. Meanwhile, World Health Organization stated that the annual number of TB mortality dropped by 45% nationwide between 2000 and 2019 [1]. However, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 90% mortality reduction from the 2015 baseline and extinction of the TB endemic has yet to be met.…”