Prisons around the world hold millions of prisoners each year and prison conditions can exacerbate the spread of diseases like tuberculosis. TB rates in prisons can be 100 times higher than in the general civilian population due to overcrowding, poor nutrition and ventilation, and limited access to medical care. Up to 24% of TB cases in prisons are multi-drug resistant which is often caused by prisoners not having consistent access to drugs and receiving erratic treatment. Improving TB diagnosis and treatment in prisons will help reduce prisons from acting as reservoirs that spread the disease to the outside community and improve prisoner health and human rights overall.

1. Tuberculosis in Prisons World Health Organization http://www.who.int/tb