Status paper on prisons and tuberculosis

Abstract

A review of the current position concerning the prevalence of tuberculosis showed that, despite the progress being made, TB remains a major problem in prisons in parts of Europe and for Europe as a whole. Urgently needed is for all those concerned, policy makers on public health and staff working in prisons, to understand the nature of the challenge coming from characteristics of the disease and from particular realities in prisons and among prison populations. This report provides the evidence of what must be done, and outlines the well-established ways by which this life-threatening disease can be detected, treated and brought under control without spread in prisons and in the community. With understanding, with resources for trained staff, for laboratory testing and for curative medicines, TB programmes in prisons as part of national strategies can bring about major public health gains and contribute towards a world without TB. The Status Paper on Prisons and TB was adopted at the WHO International Conference on Prisons and Health in Sinaia, Romania on 26 October 2006. The meeting was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Romania and TB Projects Implementation Unit, National Administration of Penitentiaries. The meeting was co-sponsored by the WHO Collaborating Centre on Prison Health, Department of Health, England and Wales, The Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, the National Administration of Penitentiaries and the Institute of Lung Diseases "Marius Nasta"