Study examines TB services in prisons in countries receiving Global Fund grants

According to a study recently published in a special supplement of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, half of countries receiving grants from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provide tuberculosis (TB) services in prisons; "even when TB services were provided to prisoners, they were limited in scope; and "[f]ew of the programs receiving a grant from the Global Fund offered services dedicated to the treatment and prevention of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB)," an aidsmap news story reports. TB is a leading cause of death among incarcerated individuals worldwide, aidsmap notes. The study authors concluded, "There is an urgent need to better understand the financing needs and cost-effective service delivery models for tuberculosis care in prisons," according to the story (Carter, 3/30).