Tuberculosis among the homeless in Chennai city, South India.

BACKGROUND

In India from a national perspective, the incidence/prevalence of active tuberculosis (TB) among the homeless are unknown.

METHODS

Homeless individuals, aged 15 years and above, were screened for TB by radiography and smear examination in Chennai city.

RESULTS

301 individuals were enrolled and screened for TB; 8% (24/301) had chest symptoms; 5.6% (17/301) found X-ray abnormalities. The overall prevalence of TB was 1661/100 000; prevalence of culture-positive TB was 997/100 000 and smear-positive TB was 664/100 000 population.

CONCLUSION

There is a need to address TB control among homeless populations. The current pilot study showed that the prevalence of TB was disproportionately high and there is a need for a larger study with an adequately powered sample size.