NCJ Number
147521
Journal
Journal of Prison and Jail Health Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: (Summer 1993) Pages: 13-31
Date Published
1993
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This discussion of the implications for corrections management of the dual HIV and tuberculosis epidemic focuses on the role of germicidal ultraviolet irradiation as a supplement to conventional methods of tuberculosis control in correctional facilities.
Abstract
The HIV epidemic has changed tuberculosis from a disease in decline into a developing major problem, because HIV-infected individuals are at least 100-fold more vulnerable to tuberculosis than are HIV-negative persons. Multiple drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis have also emerged. Tuberculosis can spread rapidly in prisons, jails, shelters for the homeless, mental hospitals, alcohol detoxification and drug treatment units, hospital emergency rooms, hospitals, and hospices. Many such places are becoming exposure chambers that not only put occupants and staff at risk but also sporadically spread tuberculosis infection into the community at large. Conventional methods of tuberculosis control in correctional facilities include admission screening with tuberculin and appropriate treatment based on CDC guidelines. Upper air sterilization with germicidal ultraviolet radiation has been used effectively for 30 years to protect staff working in tuberculosis sanatoria and clinics caring for people with tuberculosis. Because no screening program can detect all cases of tuberculosis, ultraviolet irradiation should be used wherever feasible as the most efficient method of clearing the air of germs from infections that go undetected. 53 references