Implementation of tuberculosis screening campaign in the population of Afghan nationals in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran

ایران کے صوبہ سیستان و بلوچستان میں افغان شہریوں کی آبادی میں تپ دق کی اسکریننگ مہم کا نفاذ

Report from: Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, International Affairs Office

Published on: July 10, 2024

According to public relations report, Dr. Mehdi Zanganeh, Vice Chancellor for Health of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, said in this regard: “One of the serious challenges that require intervention is the management of tuberculosis in the population of refugees and immigrants from countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, 97% of whom are Afghan nationals who are currently living in Sistan and Baluchstan Province”.

Vice Chancellor for Health of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences continued: “The latest official estimate of the World Health Organization for the incidence of tuberculosis in Afghanistan is 189 T.B. cases per 100,000 people, while this figure for Iranian population is 11 T.B. cases per 100,000 people”.

The Vice Chancellor for health of the university, highlighted the impact and the epidemiological consequences of the presence, and the mobility of this country's significant population in Iran, along with the recent intensification of illegal immigration from Afghanistan for several years on the country's tuberculosis control program. He continued: “One of the most obvious impacts of the presence of foreign nationals is that non-Iranian tuberculosis patients comprise 23% of the total tuberculosis cases in the country and 33% of the total cases of tuberculosis identified in Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2023 are non-Iranian patients”.

He said: “Since 2020, three tuberculosis screening and diagnosis campaigns have been implemented for foreign nationals at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, and more than 193,000 non-Iranian and Iranian host nationals over the age of 12 years have been covered by this campaigns, and more than 80 smear positive TB patient has been identified and treated”.

Dr. Zanganeh added: “In July 2024 the fourth T.B. screening campaign for the non-Iranian population and Iranian host nationals has started at the university level and will continue until the end of 2024”.

He continued: “In this campaign a total of 40,000 non-Iranians and 10,000 host Iranians who live in the neighborhood with significant proportion of refugees and those living on the outskirts of cities will be screened for tuberculosis infections”.

In the end, he added: “The implementation of tuberculosis screening campaigns during this period, in addition to timely and continuous attention for the prevention and treatment of patients and maintaining the achievements of the tuberculosis control program, has attracted credit to strengthen the T.B. control program at the university”.

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