Tuberculosis among the homeless in Chennai city, South India.

Background: In India from a national perspective, the incidence/prevalence of active tuberculosis (TB) among the homeless are unknown.

Methods: Homeless individuals, aged 15 years and above, were screened for TB by radiography and smear examination in Chennai city.

Results: 301 individuals were enrolled and screened for TB; 8% (24/301) had chest symptoms; 5.6% (17/301) found X-ray abnormalities. The overall prevalence of TB was 1661/100 000; prevalence of culture-positive TB was 997/100 000 and smear-positive TB was 664/100 000 population.

Conclusion: There is a need to address TB control among homeless populations. The current pilot study showed that the prevalence of TB was disproportionately high and there is a need for a larger study with an adequately powered sample size.