Border counties have high rates of TB
CDC urges more DOT for Mexican immigrants
Twenty-two percent of all foreign-born TB patients in the United States come from Mexico, causing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to urge joint TB control and prevention efforts between the two countries.
A case study of immigration and migration patterns of Hispanic foreign-born TB patients living in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and California found that 40% had immigrated from non-border areas of Mexico. The study, published in the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, also found that single-drug resistance in these patients was 1.6 to 3.2 times greater than U.S.-born, non-Hispanic patients residing in the four states. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB was 6.8 times higher.1
The CDC is supporting five bi-national projects in which paired cities on both sides of the border are collaborating to develop working relationships among health professionals who manage TB control along borders areas. However, the study’s finding that 40% of foreign-born Hispanic patients come from non- border areas suggests that efforts need to be expanded.
Because of the high rates of MDR-TB among these patients, many of whom were previously treated in Mexico, the CDC recommends that the two countries work to ensure that more patients receive directly observed therapy. The high-rate of isoniazid-resistant TB among Hispanics also justifies an initial four-drug regimen for these patients, the CDC notes.
Reference
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Characteristics of foreign-born hispanic patients with tuberculosis eight U.S. counties bordering Mexico. MMWR, 1996; 45:1,032-1,036.
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