Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recommendations of the most recent collaborative tuberculosis strategy for England, what criteria they plan to use to determine who should be screened and treated for latent tuberculosis.

When implemented, the systematic latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) testing and treatment programme for recent migrants will have the following eligibility criteria:

a) Born or spent more than six months in high TB incidence country (150 cases per 100,000 or more/Sub-Saharan Africa);

b) Entered the United Kingdom within the last five years (including where entry was via other countries (e.g within European Union/European Economic Area);

c) Aged 16-35 years;

d) No history of TB either treated or untreated; and

e) Never screened for TB in UK.

In addition to this, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends LTBI testing for other groups at higher risk of infection, such as close contacts of active TB cases or individuals who are immunocompromised. The decision to screen and treat these persons is usually made on an individual patient basis and funding is available through local arrangements.