Purpose: To clarify the status of tuberculosis and its control measures for homeless people. OBJECT AN METHODS: Chest X-ray examinations were conducted for 1,309, 1,545, 1,546 homeless people, annually between 2003 and 2005.
Results: Homeless people with old tuberculous foci accounted for about 30%, and about 2% were judged to need immediate medical treatment. Thirty cases needed treatment in 2005, and thirteen of these twenty cases had shown healed tuberculous shadows at the previous examinations. The annual incidence rate (3/20) of tuberculosis cases among persons with Type IV (inactive) lesions in 857 participants in both 2004 and 2005 was 11.2 times higher than the rate (8/597) among those who did not show chest X-ray abnormalities.
Conclusion: The annual incidence of tuberculosis among persons with Type IV lesions was higher than those who did not show chest radiographic abnormalities. It is thus necessary to establish prophylactic treatment criteria for persons with Type IV lesions by using a new method such as QFT.