TB incidence in the United States decreased during the past decade, largely as a result of more intensive TB control efforts. Nevertheless, TB control remains a public health priority for correctional systems, since TB outbreaks continue to occur in . jails and prisons. Furthermore, a significant proportion of TB cases in the . occur among persons who are over-represented in certain jails or prisons, including racial/ethnic minority populations, persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and persons born in foreign countries that have high rates of TB. M. tuberculosis, the organism that causes TB, is transmitted through airborne respiratory droplets when.
