Analysis of the movements of people deprived of liberty and their possible influences on the spread of tuberculosis (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease with a major impact in Brazil and the world. The Population Deprived of Liberty (PPL) is one of the subpopulations at high risk for infection. Goal: The present study aims to analyze the influence of PPL movements on the occurrence of tuberculosis in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). Methodology: This is an observational, ecological study. Three databases were analyzed: 1) List of patients with active TB within the MS prison system, from January 2014 to May 2019 (N=411), obtained from the project “The spatial scale of M. tuberculosis transmission in high-incidence environments”. 2) Consultation of incarceration movements in individual records in the Integrated System (SIAPEN), locating the movements of 334 patients within the prison. 3) Survey of the proportion of new cases per year, on the Integrated Health Surveillance platform of the Ministry of Health. The information was recorded in the Red Cap®. Results. A total of 7291 movements were obtained from 2014 to December 2018. The highest peak in movements was recorded in 2015 (1560), which coincides with the increase in the proportion of new TB cases in the same year (19.07%), compared to 2014 (7.23%). There was a drop in the number analyzed during subsequent years, followed by a new increase in movements in 2018 (1511). Regarding the proportion of new TB cases among the PPL, there was relative stability between 2015 and 2017, followed by an increase in 2018 (30.17%). Conclusions: It is possible that there is a relationship between the increase in new cases of TB among PPL, in the years 2015 and 2018, compared to the increase in the number of movements of individuals within the prison system in the same period. These findings can contribute to a survey of hypotheses about the extravasation of tuberculosis due to the wide network of contacts.