Tuberculosis Screening in a Jail Setting: Lessons Learned
Author: Earl H. Goldstein, M.D..; Nancy Booth, R.N., B.S.N..; Liza Macatula, R.N., M.S.N..; Chris McClean, M.S..
Source: Volume 10, Number 02, January/February 2009 , pp.17-19(3)
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Abstract:
The prevalence of tuberculosis in jails has been attributed to overcrowded conditions, high turn-over rates among prisoners, and inmates with a high risk for tuberculosis. All arrestees are housed in locally operated jails as they wait for court hearings and after they receive a sentence of a year or less. Thus, as the number of arrestees rises, so does the number of inmates in jail. Between 1995 and 2007, this number rose from 193 to 259 per 100,000 U.S. residents (Bureau of Justice Statistics,2008).Nationwide, tuberculosis rates are declining, except in jails. Prevention and control of tuberculosis within correctional settings remains challenging, despite efforts to eliminate the disease.Keywords: tuberculin skin test, TST, chest x-ray, Jones, Schaffner
Affiliations:
1: San Diego Sheriff’s Department; 2: San Diego Sheriff’s Department; 3: San Diego Sheriff’s Department; 4: biostatistician/epidemiologist.