Objective: To investigate the prevalence and incidence of tuberculosis (TB) among the two largest groups of asylum-seekers in the Netherlands, i.e. Syrians and Eritreans/Ethiopians.
Design: Descriptive study.
Method: We collected data from the screening of Syrian and Eritrean/Ethiopian asylum-seekers for the period January 2013 - September 2015 and linked these to notifications in the Netherlands Tuberculosis Register.
Results: Asylum-seekers from Syria and Eritrea/Ethiopia represented 65% and 72% of all asylum applications in 2014 and in the first nine months of 2015 respectively. Fourteen Syrian asylum-seekers applying during the study period were diagnosed with tuberculosis. The prevalence was 22 cases per 100,000 persons screened upon arrival (95% CI: 10-44), while the incidence within the first year after arrival was 19 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 3-62). Tuberculosis was diagnosed in 133 Eritrean/Ethiopian asylum-seekers applying during the study period. The prevalence was 283 cases per 100,000 persons screened upon arrival (95% CI: 198-393) and the incidence in the first year after arrival was 1394 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 1095-1751).
Conclusion: In the last two years, most asylum-seekers have originated from Syria and among them tuberculosis is relatively uncommon. However, among Eritrean/Ethiopian asylum-seekers, prevalence and incidence in the first year in the Netherlands are high. This suggests that many of them have been recently infected, in their country of origin or during the journey. Other interventions are required, such as screening for latent infection, to prevent tuberculosis among high-risk asylum-seekers and further reduce the incidence of this disease in the Netherlands.