NCJ Number
158974
Date Published
1995
Length
102 pages
Annotation
This comprehensive guide on the control of tuberculosis in correctional facilities is intended to serve as a resource for Federal, State, and local correctional officials and for health officials charged with implementing tuberculosis control policies in correctional facilities.
Abstract
The guide notes that tuberculosis poses a unique challenge in the correctional environment as inmate populations increase and prison overcrowding makes an outbreak of tuberculosis a serious threat. The control of tuberculosis is an essential aspect of inmate health care. All correctional facilities should have a written tuberculosis control plan and should designate a person who is responsible for tuberculosis control programs. Correctional facility officials should form close working relationships with their State and local health departments because health departments can assist in tuberculosis control activities in the areas of screening, containment, and assessment. The transmission, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of tuberculosis in correctional facilities are addressed. Tuberculosis screening procedures are discussed, as well as the diagnosis of tuberculosis, the reporting of tuberculosis cases identified through screening, infection control, and treatment. Appendixes contain case studies, screening algorithms, treatment tables, and additional information on the control of tuberculosis in correctional facilities. Endnotes, tables, and figures