The last five years there have been registered 15 cases of active tuberculosis in au pairs in Oslo. The municipal health agency is concerned.
The Department of Health is concerned that many au pairs are not tested for tuberculosis. Most tuberculosis cases were recorded in the western districts of Oslo.
– Au pairs come mostly to work for families with children, and there is actually a rule that says that you have to be tested for tuberculosis before you start working.
Especially if you come from a country with a high prevalence of the disease, Infection Control Officer in Oslo, Tore Steen, tells NRK.
The obligation to ensure that the au pair is being tested for the disease lies with the host family.
– We on average have had about three cases of tuberculosis infection annually in Oslo the last five years. We think the problem is that many host families are not aware that au pairs should be examined before they start to work, says Steen.
In Norway mandatory vaccination was terminated as early as in 1997, while there in 2009 was an end to voluntary vaccination of secondary school students.
In Norway, there are reported between 350 to 400 cases of tuberculosis every year.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
