Should compulsory screening of immigrants be part of U.K. policy?
The U.K. government may be considering compulsory screening of immigrants for tuberculosis and HIV, yet compulsory screening is not based on adequate evidence and has practical and ethical problems, argues a senior doctor. Little evidence exists to show that early detection of tuberculosis in foreign-born individuals conveys appreciable public health benefit to those born in the host country, wrote Richard Coker of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Indeed, what little evidence exists suggests that the introduction of compulsory measures may mean that some patients may delay seeking care and pose a greater public health threat,… Want to see the full article?
