Screening for infectious diseases in newly arrived asymptomatic immigrants in southern Italy

• Published in: Eastern Mediterranean health journal Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 246 - 253
• Main Authors: Scotto, Gaetano, Fazio, Vincenzina, Lo Muzio, Lorenzo, Coppola, Nicola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Egypt World Health Organization 04.06.2019
• Subjects: Adult; Africa South of the Sahara - ethnology; Asia - ethnology; Chronic active hepatitis; Chronic infection; Communicable Diseases - diagnosis; Communicable Diseases - ethnology; Emigrants and Immigrants; Epidemiology; Health risks; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B - diagnosis; Hepatitis B - ethnology; Hepatitis B surface antigen; Hepatitis C - diagnosis; Hepatitis C - ethnology; HIV; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - ethnology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration policy; Infections; Infectious diseases; Italy - epidemiology; Latent Tuberculosis - diagnosis; Male; Markers; Mass Screening - statistics & numerical data; Noncitizens; Public health; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Serology; Skin tests; Systematic review; Tuberculin; Tuberculosis; Young Adult; Africa South of the Sahara; Asia; Italy; Europe; epidemiology; Italy; newly arrived immigrants; LTBI; infectious diseases
• ISSN: 1020-3397; 1687-1634
• DOI: 10.26719/emhj.18.035

Screenings for infectious diseases in asymptomatic immigrants currently takes place when receiving new arrivals. We describe the frequency of infections in a cohort of newly arrived asymptomatic immigrants in Southern Italy. We studied a cohort of 238 Sub-Saharan African and Asian men hosted at a reception centre (CARA) in Foggia between January and December 2015. The tuberculin skin test for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and serology/virology testing for HBV, HCV, HIV were performed. From this cohort, 205 individuals agreed to be tested for serological/virological markers only, while 82 agreed to be tested for LTBI only; 49 people agreed to have both tests. Among those tested for virological markers, 23/205 (11.2%) were HBsAg positive; 12/23 (52.2%) individuals had chronic active hepatitis; 77/205 (37.6%) individuals had only anti-HBc positivity. HCV infection was present in 8/205 (3.9%) individuals, and chronic HCV infection, was diagnosed in only two people. Only 2/205 (1.0%) individuals presented with anti-HIV and HIV-RNA positivity. We found LTBI in 29.6% of TB-tested individuals. Asymptomatic immigrants are at increased risk for some infections, mainly HBV and tuberculosis.