TUBERCULOSIS-CONTROL IN REFUGEE POPULATIONS - A CHALLENGE TO BOTH RELIEF AGENCIES AND NATIONAL PROGRAMS

Today's worldwide tuberculosis epidemic and the movement of a growing number of refugees overlap geographically and have made tuberculosis c ontrol in refugee populations an issue of increasing importance. Howev er, in developing countries, where both of these problems are concentr ated, tuberculosis control in refugee populations remains a largely un met need. Experience shows that despite difficult field conditions, tu berculosis control programs can be managed successfully in this settin g. The range of outcome results reported for treatment completion and defaulting is, however, wide. Analyzing possible determinants for obse rved variation in treatment outcome results, this paper outlines prere quisites for establishing a tuberculosis control program in a refugee setting. An attempt is made to formulate a general strategy for the ma in policies which, if applied consistently, will reduce morbidity, mor tality and transmission of tuberculosis among refugee populations livi ng in camps. Criteria for the evaluation and monitoring of such a prog ram are discussed.