System for screening new immigrants is inadequate

A published audit of screening of immigrants in Blackburn showed that only 0.1% of those screened were found to have active disease, 2 which is the same as the detection rate resulting from examinations at the port of arrival. 3 In Birmingham no active cases were detected from screening 226 immigrants in one year. 4 There is little evidence that improvements in the system for screening immigrants will have any impact on the control of tuberculosis.