Tuberculosis in association with travel

Throughout history, tuberculosis has been spread by the movement of human populations. Modern travel continues to be associated with risk of tuberculosis infection and disease. TB transmission has been documented on commercial aircraft, from personnel or passengers to other personnel and passengers, but the risk of transmission is low. As in other settings, the likelihood of transmission is proportional to duration and proximity of contact. Travellers from low incidence to high incidence countries have an appreciable risk of acquiring TB infection similar to that of the general populations in the countries they visit, but the risk is higher if they work in health care. Two-step tuberculin skin testing prior to departure, followed by single-step tuberculin testing after return, is recommended for all such travellers. For travellers from high incidence to low incidence countries the risk of acquiring new TB infection is low. Tuberculin screening is not beneficial and not recommended. Chest X-ray screening is expensive and complex but may be beneficial for long-term migrants. For short-term travellers, such as the pilgrims to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, there is no practical or feasible intervention to detect or prevent TB. Emphasis should be placed on public awareness and education campaigns to facilitate passive diagnosis of symptomatic cases. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) continues to be a common concern for the global traveller. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.