Pernambuco wins national award for program to fight tuberculosis

The State Health Department of Pernambuco was the winner of the 13th National Exhibition of Successful Experiences in Epidemiology, Disease Control and Prevention (Expoepi), closed on Friday (18) in Brasilia. The detection work treating tuberculosis and leprosy in three state prisons, enrolled in the program Remedy, was winner in Tuberculosis and Vulnerable Populations.

This is a very important award, because 700 entries throughout Brazil, in 18 categories, was the winner. And also for its significance as it gained from the experience of coping with a serious illness, historically neglected and in a very vulnerable population, which is the prison, which has 40 times more likely to become ill with tuberculosis, explains Hans Roselene, General Director of Surveillance.

Since 2011, when Remedy was created in the Department of Health, was initiated action to prevent and control these diseases in prisons Barreto Campelo Agroindustrial San Juan (PAI) and maximum-security unit of Igarassu. In these institutions, which are 6,680 persons deprived of liberty, were identified and examined 533 individuals with symptoms common to these two diseases. In all, 32 were diagnosed TB cases (8%) and 15 cases of leprosy (9%), within one month of intensification of sputum smear microscopy (TB) and skin sensitivity (leprosy), with the support of a medical staff.

All detainees are being diagnosed and treated in this way, we stop the chain of transmission. It was an unpublished work, the research method we use, the focal group of Caplan. We also had great qualitative results, as the accession of prisoners who have become multipliers vigilant about coughing companions, encouraging them to follow treatment, explains Lais Costa, technical program statewide tuberculosis control and the author of the work.

Currently, 4,621 people treat tuberculosis in Pernambuco, 3000 while others are treated leprosy ..

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