A study on the prevalence of tuberculosis in a rural community of Bangladesh.

The population of two villages of Chagalnaiya Upazila was selected for a study on the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis through a two stage screening process. Initial screening was conducted on 3406 persons which is 78% of the total population (3920) of the two villages. The initial screening revealed 182 persons with the history of cough lasting 4 weeks or more, chest pain, continuous fever and haemoptysis. Sputum examinations for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) of tuberculosis detected 21 sputum positive cases giving a prevalence rate of 6.2 (per 1000 population) higher than the estimated national average of 5.0 per 1000. Most of the cases were not receiving treatment. Some social and environmental factors of suspected and detected cases were also studied.