United Kingdom: Call for TB and HIV Tests on All Immigrants

Lord Turnberg, the former chair of Britain's Public Health Laboratory Service, is calling for medical tests for immigrants before they are allowed into the country. Turnberg said the measure is needed to combat the spread of tuberculosis and HIV, since the recent surge in cases is largely the result of increased immigration from countries with high levels of the infections. His call reflects the growing concern in the medical profession that the National Health Service is being over- extended by the cost of treating imported illnesses.

"If they are coming for economic reasons, I would be inclined to have the tests before they leave, but if they are coming to join a husband and wife, I would be less severe," Turnberg said. At the very least, all immigrants should have health tests on entry, so they could be treated for any illnesses they carried. The only medical tests for immigrants to Britain are voluntary after arrival.

A recent report showed that the level of TB in Britain has risen sharply in recent years, largely because of immigration. In parts of London with the largest number of immigrants, TB levels are now higher than in many Third World countries. PHLS also attributed the recent rise in HIV cases to immigration. Nearly half of the 4,658 cases diagnosed in Britain last year were acquired overseas, with 1,926 involving people from Africa. Government figures showed that 92 percent of those were immigrants rather than Britons acquiring the infection in Africa. One in four people undergoing HIV treatment in Britain is an African immigrant.

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