Myles Morgan : Jun 6, 2011
The Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control says tests have shown almost a third of recently arrived refugees in Darwin have latent tuberculosis.
In three years of testing to 2009, the centre found 146 people had the infection.
It means they had been exposed to tuberculosis and could become infectious later in life.
Dr James Trauer from the Centre for Disease Control says it is important those who could become infectious are identified.
"Probably the most important part of managing TB on a public health level, and protecting the public from TB, is identifying people who are infectious and treating them appropriately," he said.
"The second most important thing to do after that is to screen people who might become infectious later."
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air like a common cold.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people infected with TB bacilli will not necessarily become sick.
The WHO says one-third of the world's population is currently infected with the TB bacillus.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/06/3236636.htm
The Northern Territory Centre for Disease Control says tests have shown almost a third of recently arrived refugees in Darwin have latent tuberculosis.
In three years of testing to 2009, the centre found 146 people had the infection.
It means they had been exposed to tuberculosis and could become infectious later in life.
Dr James Trauer from the Centre for Disease Control says it is important those who could become infectious are identified.
"Probably the most important part of managing TB on a public health level, and protecting the public from TB, is identifying people who are infectious and treating them appropriately," he said.
"The second most important thing to do after that is to screen people who might become infectious later."
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air like a common cold.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people infected with TB bacilli will not necessarily become sick.
The WHO says one-third of the world's population is currently infected with the TB bacillus.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/06/3236636.htm
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