Tuberculosis in Persons Deprived of Liberty in Tete, Mozambique.

Abstract

Abstract Objective - To assess the prevalence and factors associated with tuberculosis in Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) in the Tete Provincial Prison Establishment (EPPT) in Mozambique. Methods -This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in 2020 at the EPPT in Mozambique. The study population included the 525 PDL in the male EPPT and the 53 PDL in the female penitentiary. Data from the tuberculosis screening campaigns conducted by the EPPT Sanitary Department were collected from 356 PDL contained in the registration book. Relative and absolute frequencies of the variables studied were calculated. Fisher's exact test or the χ2 test was used to verify the association between the outcome (tuberculosis) and the independent variables, and logistic regression, considering a 5% significance level. Results - Among the 356 PDL, 322 (90.5%) were male and 34 (9.5%) were female. Approximately 65.0% of PDL were in the age group of 18 to 34 years and single, and half were from the city, with at least primary level schooling. Around 70.0% had no expected monthly income. The prevalence of TB in the EPPT was quite high, 24.1% (86/356), with 24.2% (78/322) among male PDL, and 23.5% (8/34) in female PDL. HIV prevalence was also high at 9.8% (35/356), and approximately 3.1% (11/356) of PDL presented TB-HIV co-infection. The main factor associated with TB in male PDL in the EPPT was time in prison, ORadj=9.0 (95%CI: (1.1 - 71.0). Conclusions - The prevalence of tuberculosis, HIV, and TB-HIV observed in the EPPT was high, implying a high risk of infection, transmission, incidence, and prevalence in the community at large. Conditions in the prison environment were associated with the prevalence of tuberculosis in male PDL in the EPPT.