Publication Date: 2023/07/21
Abstract: Background: In Gabon, the epidemic of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in prisons is poorly documented. There is no official data, even though these environments meet the perfect conditions for transmission of the disease: overcrowding, close and prolonged contact, and the inexistence of a policy of screening/medical check-up of inmates upon their admission to prison. The objective of this study was to conduct a prospective and cross- sectional study to assess the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the prison environment of Yéné, the central prison of Franceville, capital of the Haut-Ogooué province. Methods: A preliminary clinical survey of inmates identified a cohort of 100 individuals suspected of having TB based on clinical symptoms. Subsequently, from June 9 to 13, 2022, we collected sputum samples from inmates suspected of having TB. These samples were analyzed by the molecular biology technique GeneXpert MTB/RIF.Conclusion: In Yéné prison, the non-existence of diagnostic tests for TB to newly incarcerated inmates puts other inmates as well as prison officers at risk for TB infection.
Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Tuberculosis, GeneXpert, prison environment, Haut-Ogooué.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8170673
PDF: https://ijirst.demo4.arinfotech.co/assets/upload/files/IJISRT23JUN236.pdf
REFERENCES