Japan plans to introduce TB screening

Japan

The Japanese government is making plans for mandatory screening for in-bound travellers from six countries

The Health Minister, Keizo Takemi, said they may implement tuberculosis screening for travellers who plan to stay for three months or longer from China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines and Vietnam. He said that many new TB cases in Japan come from those countries.

They will be asked to test at Japanese government-designated medical institutions before they travel. Japan will not issue visas if they test positive.

“We are making preparations for implementation as soon as possible,” Takemi said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said TB is the largest infectious killer after Covid-19 – 1.3 million people died of the disease last year.

In March, WHO issued a call to action to help end the disease.