High tuberculosis prevalence in a psychiatric hospital in Vietnam.

Little is known about tuberculosis (TB) prevalence in psychiatric hospitals in Vietnam, but prevalence may be higher than in the general population. We assessed the TB prevalence among in-patients of a psychiatric hospital in 2005 in Danang City, Vietnam. Of 300 in-patients, 70 had an abnormal X-ray or prolonged cough, and underwent sputum smear examinations. The prevalence of smear-positive TB was 0.33% (1/300, 95%CI 0.008-1.9). Twenty-three (7.7%) patients had X-ray lesions suggesting active TB and 22 (7.3%) had a history of TB treatment. TB prevalence was high in this psychiatric hospital, and TB infection control needs strengthening.