Tuberculosis in prisons: an unintended sentence?

Abstract

Tuberculosis and HIV remain serious challenges for public health programmes globally, owing to the sustained high rates of morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases. WHO has advocated for greater control efforts, including ambitious targets for both HIV and tuberculosis that aim to reach, test, and treat high-risk populations, particularly those that are incarcerated.1,2 Despite the importance of targeting high-risk populations, prisoners are not sufficiently prioritised in major policy documents, nor are prison activities integrated into national programmes.