Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphilis among newly arrived unaccompanied minors living in reception centers in Rome.

Abstract Objective Our study aimed at addressing the prevalence of infectious diseases in a population of unaccompanied immigrant minors living in reception centers of Rome, Italy. Methods The study was carried out from January 2013-January 2019. All unaccompanied immigrant minors were screened for hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), syphilis and latent tuberculosis infection. Results A total of 879 unaccompanied immigrant minors, 858 males and 21 females, aged 13-18 years old, were studied. Out of these, 615 were from Africa, 179 from Asia and 84 from Eastern Europe. We observed a low prevalence of HBsAg carriage (2.5%) and very low prevalence of HCV (0.72%), latent syphilis (0.4%), latent tuberculosis, defined as TST+ x-ray- case, was diagnosed in 102 (12%) minors. Conclusions Similarly to previous studies, our data demonstrate that migrant minors are generally healthy. However, given the relatively high prevalence of hepatitis B and latent TB, a systematic screening for these diseases among immigrant minors immigrants is highly recommended for early detection and treatment of potentially transmissible diseases.