[Pulmonary tuberculosis in ex-prisoners in the Udmurt Republic]

The tuberculosis epidemic situation has aggravated in the penal system of the Udmurt Republic. In 2005, the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in the penitentiary sector of the republic was 17 times greater than that in the civilian population. The released tuberculosis prisoners have a considerable impact on the tuberculosis situation. The greatest epidemic hazard was presented by tuberculosis patients who had released from a prison after the end of their sentence term (51.5%) since many of them had not completed a course of therapy; 85.1% of the patients with tuberculosis had been released as having active lung tissue changes. After releasing from the places of confinement, 55.3% of the patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis had not been registered at a dispensary and hence they did not continue their treatment. Joint efforts with civilian antituberculous facilities should be made, which ensures the continuity and succession in the implementation of antituberculous measures at different departments.