The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB diagnosis in the Brazilian prison population, 2020–2021

Abstract

BACKGROUND: TB is an infectious disease with a worldwide impact. TB is closely associated with social and housing conditions, exerting a significant impact on the prison population, which is particularly susceptible to the disease. Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated social vulnerability. This study therefore aimed to analyse the impact of the pandemic on the diagnosis of new cases of TB in the Brazilian prison population in the years 2020 and 2021.METHODS: This is an ecological study involving cases of TB recorded in the prison population of Brazil from 2015 to 2021. Data were collected from the Brazil’s Information System for Notifiable Diseases.RESULTS: The incidence of TB in the prison population in Brazil fell from 1,005.9/100,000 population between 2015 and 2019 to 852.3/100,000 population between 2020 and 2021. In 2021, there was a deficit of 539 cases (–7.6%) compared to what was expected for the year. In 2020, there was a 10% reduction in TB diagnoses in January and February, reaching 3.8% in March. A negative percentage was observed in most of the subsequent months. In 2021, the year began with a 21.6% decline in January, returning to positive values only in August and September.CONCLUSION: The first years of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in underdiagnosis of TB in the Brazilian prison population.