Abstract

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The occurrence of Tuberculosis (TB) in prisons is a major public health threat in Nigeria, where inadequate TB screening generates poor data of the infection. The study was aimed to determine the occurrence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among inmates in Kurmawa prison, Kano, Nigeria. A cross- sectional study was conducted among 150 inmates and sputum samples were collected and examined using standard mycobacteriological procedures. Results revealed that out of the 150 sputum samples processed, 7 (4.7%) were identified as M. Tuberculosis positive with 1 out of 19 (14.3%) females and 6 out of 131 (4.6%) males infected (p>0.05). Inmates in the age group ≥48 years were more infected (p>0.05). The results also revealed that prevalence of TB was insignificantly higher in convicted inmates (6.1%), students (33.3%), widows (20%), inmates with non-formal education (5.7%), rural inmates (8.2%), HIV positive inmates (25%), inmates that smoke (5.1%), inmates that consume alcohol (5.9%), inmates with abnormal nutrition (9.4%) and inmates that were not on drug abuse (4.9%) (p>0.05). The prevalence was also insignificantly higher among those inmates coughing between 2-4 weeks (6.1%), that have contact with TB inmate after incarceration (6.4%) that stayed in the prison for 25-30 months (25%) and 31-36 months (21.4%). Only 1 (14.3%) of the inmates infected with TB had multidrug resistant (MDR) TB. The study identifies the need for creation of TB diagnostic and treatment centers in prisons, with emphasis on screening of not only new prisoners for tuberculosis on entry, but the entire prison population including prison staffs periodically.

Keywords: Tuberculosis, Prevalence, Inmates, Kurmawa Prison.