Reducing the Tuberculosis Burden in U.S. Bound Populations from the Philippines

Immigrant and refugee applicants for US immigration are required to undergo a medical examination pursuant to section 232 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1222). Sections 212(a)(1) and 232 of the INA, and section 325 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 252) grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) authority to publish regulations that establish the requirements for, and components of, the medical examination of aliens. HHS/CDC Part 34 regulations entitled Medical Examination of Aliens regulations also define the communicable diseases of public health significance that make aliens inadmissible to the United States and provide that all medical examinations shall be carried out in accordance with the Technical Instructions for physicians conducting the medical examination of aliens as may be issued by the Director of Quarantine. This NOFO is intended to implement strategies to reduce the incidence of TB in the Philippines and to reduce the tuberculosis burden in US bound populations from the Philippines in order to reduce the burden needed to be detected by US panel physicians. The aim is to engage public health officials to develop and implement a system to identify persons at risk of TB infection; provide training support to regions with elevated rates of TB and drug-resistant TB; build the capacity of local jurisdictions to treat and care for individuals with TB; and develop and implement trainings for public health partners to increase knowledge and promote TB identification, diagnosis, and treatment best practices.