Experts warn that high incarceration rates in Latin America are worsening the tuberculosis epidemic, countering the global decline, with prisons responsible for a significant portion of cases.
A recent study found that between 1990 and 2019, the prison population in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and El Salvador rose dramatically, and correspondingly, about a third of tuberculosis cases were linked to incarceration.
In El Salvador, the situation is alarming, with approximately 44% of the tuberculosis cases in 2019 being in prisons, contributing to the country’s high imprisonment rate.
Contrary to prior beliefs that HIV/Aids is the main factor for tuberculosis, the study credits the rise in imprisonment as the primary driver for the growing incidence of this disease in Latin America.
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