Mass incarceration as a driver of the tuberculosis epidemic in Latin America and projected impacts of policy alternatives: A mathematical modeling study.

To date the true impact of incarceration on the tuberculosis epidemic across the region has been underestimated due to a narrow focus on disease occurring during incarceration. In light of the substantial excess tuberculosis burden attributable to incarceration, interventions targeting incarceration can have outsized effects on the broader tuberculosis epidemic in Latin America- much greater than previously appreciated. These interventions should include not only strategies to reduce tuberculosis risk among currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, but also efforts to end mass incarceration.