Analysis of TB case-finding in prisoners in Harbin prison system from 2012 to 2015

Abstract

Objective To analyzethe incidence and treatment of the tuberculosis patients in prison from 2012 to 2015; to understand theepidemic of tuberculosis in prisons and to provide the basis for the prevention of tuberculosis. Methods In 2012-2015, patients withtuberculosis were diagnosed through the prison medical examination or medical screeningaccording to the tuberculosis diagnostic criteria, based on sputum culture and chest X-ray.The basic information of the population with tuberculosis was surveyed.Patients were received chemotherapy and their prognosis was evaluated. Results In from 2012 to 2015, there were 98 confirmed patients with tuberculosis in prisons, which accounted for 1.69% of the prison population.Among these patients, 31.6%(31/98)were smear-positivepulmonary tuberculosis; 60.2% (59/98) were smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis; 8.20% (8/98) were tuberculous pleurisy.From 2012 to2015, theyearlyincidence of tuberculosis in prisons was2.46%, 1.83%, 1.36%, and 1.19%, respectively.Among these patients, 49.0% (48/98) were diagnosed by the entry examination; 16.3% (16/98) were diagnosed by medical screening; 34.7% (34/98) were diagnosed by clinical visit of the prisoners.The cure rate of tuberculosis in prisons were 85.7% from2012 to2015.The yearly cure rate was 81.3% (26/32), 85.7% (24/28), 86.9% (20/24) , and 93.3% (14/15), respectively from 2012 to 2015. Conclusion The incidence of tuberculosis in prisons was declining; the cure rate of tuberculosis showed an increasing trend from 2012 to2015.These results indicate that the prevention and managementfor tuberculosisin the prison was effective. Key words: Tuberculosis; Prison; Prevention and control