Comparing Tuberculosis Incidence in a Prison with the Society, Tehran, Iran

[Objectives]We conducted this study to compare the tuberculosis (TB) incidence in an Iranian prison with the society in Iran.[Methods]In this present study, we investigated the incidence of TB among prisoners versus the society by an age range of 23 to 49 years. We used an active case finding (ACF) strategy as a screening method to find TB suspected prisoners in the Great Tehran Prison from October 2013 to May 2014.[Results]In the total of 5865 prisoners, only nine patients were diagnosed with TB while 2263 out of 4503516 individuals of the society had TB in this period of time. Statistical analyses showed that out of 100,000 people there were 153.5 patients detected in the prison and 5.02 patients in the society. Therefore, the incidence of TB in the prison was significantly more than the society (P < 0.0001). The ratio of TB incidence in the prison to the society was 30.6 (95% CI: 16 - 58).[Conclusions]The incidence of TB in prisons is significantly more than society. Thus, TB management needs providing preventive measures such as intensifying case findings in prisons.