Incidence of tuberculosis infection among New York State prison employees.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined tuberculosis skin test conversions among 24,487 New York State prison employees in 1992.

METHODS

Conversions were analyzed by prison and by job category.

RESULTS

The conversion rate was 1.9%. Employees in prisons with low and high numbers of prisoner cases had odds ratios for conversion of 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27, 2.19) and 2.20 (95% CI = 1.69, 2.87), respectively, relative to employees in prisons with no prisoner cases. In prisons with cases, guards and medical personnel had odds ratios of 1.64 (95% CI = 1.11, 2.43) and 2.39 (95% CI = 1.40, 4.08), respectively, relative to employees with little prisoner contact.

CONCLUSIONS

In 1992, approximately one third of new infections among New York State prison employees were due to occupational exposure.