Difficulties in eradicating tuberculosis in the central prison of Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo

Abstract

Introduction: tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease, and its control is considered a challenge, particularly among vulnerable populations such as prisoners. The presence of TB in prisons is a persistent scourge. This article aims to describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis in Congolese prisons. Methods: this is a one-year cross-sectional study from February 17, 2024, to February 24, 2025, at the Pointe-Noire central prison. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and epidemiological data. We carried out systematic screening for TBC. Diagnosis was based on PCR analysis of sputum. Results: the mean age was 30.45±11.32, with extremes ranging from 14 to 71 years. 98% of our patients were male. We identified 30 cases of TBC, i.e., 2.40% of the 1249 inmates screened, all of them pulmonary TBC. Eighty-six point sixty-seven percent (86.67%) were symptomatic and 13.33% asymptomatic on clinical examination, with a case-fatality rate of 23.3%. Conclusion: the average cumulative incidence rate was 6.5 times higher than in the general Congolese population. TB in prisons is a public health problem in the tropics, and systematic screening for TB should be instituted.