Canada needs new health checks for immigrants

Ottawa needs to focus and improve on the health screening system for people migrating to Canada, states a new study that states the largest numbers of active tuberculosis sufferers, have been discovered to be from 6 countries, including the Philippines.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the sixth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines; the country is ninth out of the 22 highest TB-burden countries in the world and has one of the highest burdens of multidrug-resistant TB.
Canadian infectious disease doctors have also discovered that the majority of tuberculosis cases with an active strain are from 5 other countries namely Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, India and Vietnam. The study fears that the authorities need to understand that it is necessary to revamp and make better the health screening tests that are used for immigrants. Data records from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that in between 2008-2011, nearly 157 active TB carriers who were prospective immigrants had been screened and they hailed from Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Philippines, India and Vietnam.
The study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and it has shown a link between the data of immigrants gathered from the immigration department and the health ministry of Ontario.
The study spanning over 2002-2011 has tracked 944,375 immigrants settled in Canada, who have shown TB. The lead author of this study is an infectious disease physician employed at the St. Michael’s hospital by the name of Dr. Kamran Khan, and he states “While the pre-immigration chest X-ray identifies active TB in some new immigrants, the risk of disease varies widely by the immigrants’ country of origin.” He further showed concern stating “When we screen every new immigrant in precisely the same way, we unnecessarily consume valuable resources looking for active TB in populations where the probability of disease is essentially zero.”
All immigrant applicants heading out for Canada have to undergo a complete medical screening. The Canadian laws demand complete physical examination, a detailed medical history, tests for chronic kidney disease, syphilis, HIV testing, and chest radiograph. People who show signs of TB need to undergo further extensive tests for the disease. Markers of old TB, or those who marked positive in the self reported history of TB, need to get further surveillance test by health authorities, after immigration formalities are done.
Immigrants, who have been diagnosed with active tuberculosis, need to go through a complete medical treatment for the disease and only then can they stay as permanent residents in the country. The symptoms of TB show up as chills, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite and night sweats and people who have had TB earlier should undergo latent TB infection testing and stay monitored, though they face no consequences if they have already got their immigration clearance.
“To protect Canadians from the growing global threat of TB, including highly drug-resistant forms that are becoming virtually untreatable, we need to think about our overall game plan and how our federal, provincial and local strategies are integrated and balanced,” felt Dr. Khan, who insisted on post immigration surveillance procedures. Insisting on keeping a check on the country the immigrant hails from and his current immune system status, Khan said “We need to strategically invest resources in the prevention and control of TB outside of our borders, revise and streamline our immigration screening system.”