Tuberculosis incidence in the Irish Traveller population in Ireland from 2002 to 2013.
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Journal ArticleDate:
2015Access:
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O'Toole RF, Jackson S, Hanway A, O'Donnell J, Comiskey CM, Rogers TR, O'Flanagan D, Tuberculosis incidence in the Irish Traveller population in Ireland from 2002 to 2013., Epidemiology and infection, 2015, 1-7Download Item:
Abstract:
The health status of the Irish Traveller ethnic minority is low compared to the general population
in Ireland in terms of infant mortality rates and life expectancies. Respiratory disease is an area
of health disparity manifested as excess mortalities in Traveller males and females. In this study,
we examined the available data with regard to tuberculosis (TB) notifications in Ireland from
2002 to 2013. We found an increase in TB notifications in Irish Travellers from 2010 onwards.
This resulted in a crude incidence rate for TB in Irish Travellers that was about threefold higher
than that of the white Irish-born population in 2011 and 2012. An outbreak of TB in Irish
Travellers in 2013 increased this differential further, but when outbreak-linked cases were
excluded, a higher incidence rate was still observed in Irish Travellers relative to the general
population and to white Irish-born. The mean age of a TB patient was 26 years in Irish
Travellers compared to 43 years in the general population, and 49 years in white Irish-born.
Based on available data, Irish Travellers exhibit a higher incidence rate and younger age
distribution of TB compared to white Irish-born and the general population. These observations
emphasize the importance of routine use of ethnicity identifiers in the management of TB and
other notifiable communicable illnesses in Ireland. They also have implications for the orientation
of preventive services to address health disparities in Irish Travellers and other ethnic minority
groups.
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/ccomiskehttp://people.tcd.ie/otooler3
http://people.tcd.ie/rogerstr
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Journal ArticleSeries/Report no:
Epidemiology and infectionAvailability:
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Irish TravellersSubject (TCD):
Immunology, Inflammation & Infection , Inclusive SocietyDOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0950268815000138Metadata
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