The features of prisons in 14 Latin American countries are compared in terms of incarceration rates, the ratio of TB notification rates between prisons and the community, surveillance of prison history in community TB cases by national TB programmes and the institution responsible for managing health issues within correctional facilities in each country
| Country | Prison TB incidence* | General population TB incidence* | Incarceration rate† | TB incidence rate ratio in prisons/ community* | Incarcerated population* | Total TB cases‡ | Proportion of TB in prison† | Incarceration history reported in TB surveillance§ | Governance of health services within prisons§ |
| Paraguay | 3211.6 | 48 (40–59) | 234 | 62.5 | 15 000 | 3480 | 16.9 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Chile | 87.6 | 16 (13–18) | 259 | 5.0 | 51 113 | 3184 | 1.3 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Dominican Republic | 1075.1 | 45 (33–57) | 223 | 48.9 | 25 416 | 4881 | 7.3 | No | Public ministry |
| Uruguay | 712.7 | 32 (27–37) | 408 | 34.4 | 14 965 | 1112 | 7.3 | No | Ministry of Interior |
| El Salvador | 5151.6 | 49 (36–64) | 1086 | 51.0 | 71 000 | 3136 | 55.5 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Guatemala | 829.4 | 27 (20–35) | 142 | 40.7 | 23 765 | 5090 | 5.9 | No | Government Ministry |
| Ecuador | 1592.3 | 48 (35–62) | 224 | 41.7 | 31 143 | 8793 | 10.7 | No | Ministry of Health |
| Peru | 3566.3 | 130 (102–161) | 262 | 20.8 | 92 352 | 43 094 | 10.3 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Costa Rica | 166.4 | 11 (7.8–14) | 301 | 334.9 | 15 700 | 560 | 8.0 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Colombia | 633.9 | 41 (32–51) | 196 | 29.3 | 102 168 | 20 862 | 6.0 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Argentina | 267.3 | 30 (26–36) | 249 | 10.0 | 114 074 | 14 198 | 2.5 | No | Security Secretary |
| Brazil | 1250.4 | 48 (42–56) | 389 | 31.3 | 835 643 | 102 029 | 11.3 | No | Ministry of Justice |
| Honduras | 1160.6 | 33 (24–42) | 218 | 33.3 | 19 619 | 3268 | 2.4 | No | Security Secretary |
| Panamá | 525.0 | 42 (32–53) | 499 | 16.0 | 22 239 | 1812 | 5.2 | No | Ministry of Health |
*https://www.paho.org/es/documentos/tuberculosis-americas-informe-regional-2021
‡Global TB Report 2022.
§In May 2023, we interviewed representatives from several countries who are involved in TB control efforts.
TB, tuberculosis.