In line with WHO’s guidelines and the position of other European countries, the French High Council for Public Health (HCSP) recommends that countries where annual incidence of reactivation tuberculosis (TB) is higher than 40 per 100 000 be considered as belonging to a high endemicity area.

It recommends that this threshold be used to decide to give BCG vaccine to children originating from high endemicity countries or born to parents originating from these countries.

On the other hand, the indications for TB screening in people originating from high endemicity countries, especially adults, depend on several factors and cannot be based only on an incidence rate.

A table showing the geographic areas of high and low TB endemicity is presented in the statement appendix.