“Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis among patients arriving in Europe from the Horn of Africa”

“The risk of tuberculosis outbreaks among people fleeing hardship for refuge in Europe is heightened. A recent article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases describes the cross-border European response to an outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among patients from the Horn of Africa and Sudan. Between Feb 12, 2016, and April 19, 2017, 29 patients were diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in seven European countries. All originated from the Horn of Africa or Sudan. 22 (76%) patients reported their travel routes, with clear spatiotemporal overlap between routes. The data suggest that source cases are linked to an M tuberculosis clone circulating in northern Somalia or Djibouti and that transmission probably occurred en route before arrival in Europe.”

Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases