Distribution of tuberculosis in migrant children and young people in Europe: a retrospective database analysis of European data

Objective The burden of tuberculosis (TB) in migrant children and young people (CYP) is commonly overlooked, despite the increasing incidence of TB in migrant populations in the European region. This study aimed to examine the distribution and disease characteristics of TB among migrant and native-born CYP through analysis of data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) surveillance system (TESSy). Study design Retrospective database analysis. Methods A retrospective database analysis was conducted on all CYP TB cases (0–17 years) reported to TESSy (1995–2017), exploring distribution, site of TB, and presence of MDR-TB using multivariate analysis in R statistical software. Results Of the 73,176 CYP TB cases reported in the EU/EFTA (1995–2017), 24.4% (n = 17,879) occurred in migrant CYP and 75.6% (n = 55,297) occurred in native-born CYP. Migrant CYP were more likely (P < 0.001) to have pulmonary TB (OR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.74–2.09) and unsuccessful treatment outcomes (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.74–2.40) compared to native-born CYP. The proportion of extrapulmonary TB, compared to pulmonary TB across total CYP cases was higher than the existing evidence base. Conclusions Overall, there were significant differences in the site of TB and treatment outcomes between migrant and native-born CYP. To improve outcomes, TB screening and detection practices should focus on facilitating care in migrant CYP. However, to better understand the implications of these findings on broader TB control, TB among CYP should be addressed more frequently in reports and research.