Tuberculosis and Prisons

Pontali E.; Manga S. · Essential Tuberculosis (2021) · DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-66703-0_22

Resumen

Tuberculosis (TB) is a well-known public health issue with worldwide diffusion. People in prisons suffer from a number of communicable diseases, including TB, that show a higher prevalence than in the general population. Actually, prisons are “closed settings” with a “closed/forced community” inside. They are considered reservoirs and multipliers of TB by facilitating Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission within their walls, as well as to the surrounding communities. There are several challenges to TB control and management in prison settings; they may be globally encountered or related to country/local peculiarities. Conversely, there are also multiple effective initiatives that can be carried out in prisons to improve TB control. In conclusion, TB in prison is a key health issue in many countries. Avoiding to address TB in the prison setting may hamper TB control program achievements. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.