Nepalese Gurkha soldiers are recruited from a country endemic for a number of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and gastrointestinal parasites. This article describes a prospective cohort study which investigated screening strategies for these infections among Gurkha recruits arriving in the UK to begin basic training. Several recommendations were made as a result of the study which were supported for early implementation and subsequently fully adopted. Military screening and treatment policies have been directly influenced by this research which also has translational application to similar migrant civilian populations.
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.