According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2013, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2012, including 1.1 million cases among people living with HIV. People from selected countries as defined by the WHO, who are applying for a United Kingdom (UK) visa for a stay longer than 6 months for the purposes of education, employment, etc. are required to undergo tuberculosis (TB) screening in order to be issued a certificate demonstrating that they are free from the disease.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the British High Commission facilitates TB screening for individuals who seek to travel to the UK for 6 months or more. Any individual over aged 11 years and above is required to obtain an IOM medical certificate confirming that they are free from active TB before they apply for a visa to travel to the UK for a period longer than six months.

Diplomatic passport holders traveling on official business or on a posting to the UK, those who qualify for exempt visa and those applying for a certificate of entitlement and returning residents are exempt from obtaining the certificate.

Since the beginning of the programme in January 2013, IOM has conducted over 3500 TB examinations nationwide, specifically at health centers in Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

“This programme has allowed us to identify TB cases and facilitate access to diagnostics and treatment in South Arica before they travel to the UK. Individuals who test positive to infectious TB are referred for treatment at national institutes applying World Health Organization tuberculosis treatment standards,” says Leone de Villiers, IOM South Africa Enrolled Nurse.

The IOM UK Pre-Departure Tuberculosis Detection Programme started in October 2005 and currently involves 8 countries of origin with over 110,000 persons screened for active tuberculosis annually.

Appointments for TB medical examinations in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria can be booked by calling +27 (0) 71 607 0783 during working hours Monday-Thursday (8:00h – 15:30h) and Fridays (8:00 – 12:00).

For more information, travellers are encouraged to visit http://southafrica.iom.int/uk-tb-screening/ or call IOM at +27 12 342 2789.