Tuberculosis: global emergency, local implications

Abstract

An account of the various factors leading to the global resurgence of tuberculosis focusing in detail on the epidemiology of the disease in Malta for the time period 1986-1995. A set of indicators are identified which can be applied as standardised markers for continued evaluation of the trends of the disease and the services available for its treatment and control. A study of notification and mortality data describes the detailed epidemiology of tuberculosis in Malta. The incidence of tuberculosis during the period studied was 7 per 100,000, and the trends among the local population indicate that eradiction is possible if factors which may introduce new infections within the local population are controlled. A series of studies in special populations identified emerging groups with higher risk of tuberculosis in Malta: persons infected with HIV, intravenous drug users, foreign workers and prisoners. The implications of these results for the control of tuberculosis are codified in a consensus document developed as part of this research.