A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
A multinational Delphi consensus on tuberculosis screening of migrants in Europe
Authors: Pinheiro, Marina; Aguiar, Ana; Moreira, David N.; Akkerman, Onno W.; Al-Suwaidi, Zubaida; Alffenaar, Jan-Willem C.; Arandjelović, Irena; Brito, Ulisses; de Colombani, Pierpaolo; Curcic, Radmila; Garcia-Basteiro, Alberto L.; Goletti, Delia; Günther, Gunar; Ibraim, Elmira; Kapata, Nathan; Lange, Christoph; Lipman, Marc; Jankovic Makek, Mateja; Marais, Ben J.; Mariandyshev, Andrei; Magis-Escurra, Cecile; Migliori, Giovanni Battista; Sánchez, Montalvá Adrián; Nanovi,c Zorica; Palmero, Domingo Juan; Priwitzer, Martin; Raviglione, Mario C. B.; Silva, Denise Rossato; Salzer, Helmut J. F.; Schwarzbach, Christian; Spruijt, Ineke; Winthrop, Kevin L.; Udwadia, Zarir; Vasankari, Tuula; Vilaplana, Cristina; Duarte, Raquel
Publisher: European Respiratory Society
Publication year: 2025
Journal: ERJ Open Research
Article number: 00574-2025
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
eISSN: 2312-0541
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00574-2025
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00574-2025
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508439216
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY NC
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
The disproportionate burden of tuberculosis among migrants in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region underscores the urgent need to address the public health challenges associated with global migration. Recommendations for screening of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and TB infection (TBI) are highly variable across European countries, highlighting the need for standardised practices and coordinated efforts to reduce TB risk more effectively. This study aims to produce a harmonised set of recommendations to contribute to elaboration for policy action using the Delphi method. It brings together a multidisciplinary panel of 33 TB experts from academia, healthcare, non-governmental organisations and government agencies across 22 countries to formulate consensus-based recommendations. The panel created 19 consensus statements and 36 recommendations for governments, health systems and other stakeholders. The recommendations span four key domains: 1) policy, 2) health systems and health professionals, 3) screening procedures and priority populations and 4) continued treatment and care. This study recommends a unified, evidence-based approach to TB screening in migrants, with free access to diagnosis and treatment, culturally sensitive care, use of digital tools and coordinated efforts across health systems to ensure effective and equitable TB control in Europe. Thus, the experts emphasised key recommendations that strike a balance between immediate health system interventions, screening procedures and cultural inclusivity to more effectively address TB among migrants. The findings of this study offer actionable policies to address gaps and weaknesses in Europe's response to tuberculosis among migrants, advancing efforts to eliminate TB as a public health threat.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.) through the projects with references UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020 and DOI identifiers https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04750/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0064/2020. C. Lange is funded by the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) under grant agreement TTU-TB02.709. The funders had no involvement in the study's design, data collection and analysis, publication decision, or manuscript preparation. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Open Funder Registry.
