Prevalence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Inmates and Staff of Three Indian Prisons

Aim: To estimate prevalence of TB among inmates and staff of three prisons in south India.

Place of Study: The study was undertaken in three purposively selected prisons in Karnataka State, India, namely, Belgaum, Mysore and Mangalore prisons.

Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was undertaken among a total of 2450 inmates and 280 staff at the three selected prisons. Inmates and prison staff were screened for cough of ≥ 2 weeks and the identified TB suspects were subjected to sputum microscopy for acid fast bacilli using ZN staining and fluorescent microscopy.

Results: 81 TB suspects were identified among the inmates and none among the staff. Of the 81 TB suspects, none were positive for acid fast bacilli. 10 inmates at the prisons were already on DOTS for pulmonary TB. A prevalence of pulmonary TB of 4/1000 prison inmates was estimated. Unmet need for medical care was elicited among TB suspects. Past history of anti-TB treatment and history of current smoking were identified as significant risk factors for TB in the selected prisons.

Conclusion: The estimated prevalence of pulmonary TB in the selected prisons (4/1000 prison inmates and staff) was almost twice that in the Indian general population (2.11/1000 general population).