Prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among correctional services staff in KwaZulu-Natal prisons.

Background: Prisons and penitentiaries are viewed as environments that act as reservoirs for the transmission of infectious diseases within their confines.This is due to the 'closed' system they operate.The prevalence of these infectious diseases like pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among prisoners or inmates has been reported repeatedly in various settings.Aim: To determine the workplace factors that might lead to an increase in the risk of PTB disease among Correctional Facility Workers (CFWs) in prisons in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)Method: An assessment of the prevalence of PTB disease among the CFWs at three correctional services facilities located within the province was conducted.These were randomly selected from a total of 37 prisons in KZN.Questionnaires were administered to determine work activities that may place CFWs at increased risk for acquiring PTB.Results: There was a response rate of 74.2%, (n=224 participants).Employees had a mean age of 39.2 (SD: 9.2) years and the mean for the number of years worked in the Correctional Facilities was 9.9 years (SD: 6.03).Among the sample, 21.8% had PTB disease during their employment.Nearly a quarter of the CFWs (33 (14.7%)) who had previously been in contact with PTBpositive offenders were diagnosed with PTB while working at the Correctional Facilities.Medical and allied health workers presented with substantially increased (albeit imprecise) risk for acquiring PTB during employment (OR: 19.8 (95% CI: (1.9-202) and OR: 29.4 (95% CI: (2.65- 326) respectively)Conclusions: Findings indicate that CFWs are at risk of developing work-related PTB disease.Healthcare workers recorded a higher prevalence than any other job description.This suggests increased exposure among healthcare workers in these correctional facilities.Appropriate interventions are necessary for the protection of these workers.