Tuberculosis in a rural population of South India: a five-year epidemiological study

Tuberculosis is a serious health problem in India, but because of inadequate facilities for diagnosis in many parts of the country clinical data are incomplete. However, data on prevalence are available from a few sample surveys conducted in the general population during the last two decades. The study reported here provides information on the incidence of infection and disease as well as on the source and fate of cases. The information was obtained by means of surveys, repeated at intervals during 1961-68 in a randomly selected rural population of South India. In each survey, a tuberculin test was given and X-ray and sputum examinations were made. There were virtually no tuberculosis control facilities in the study area, since this was not covered by the national tuberculosis programme at the time.