title: Neglected disease in mentally ill patients: Major tuberculosis outbreak in a psychiatric hospital.
abstract: As tuberculosis incidence decreases, the possibility of overlooking the disease increases, especially in vulnerable populations. We describe here a major tuberculosis outbreak among mentally ill patients in Croatia, focusing on 1 regional hospital where most patients were hospitalized. The outbreak emphasizes the vulnerability of mentally ill patients to tuberculosis infection and the complexity of infection control measures in psychiatric institutions. The awareness of tuberculosis in these settings should be maintained to interrupt prolonged exposure and avoid unnecessary infection.
authors: National Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: ljiljana.zmak@hzjz.hr.
authors: Ljiljana
authors: L
authors: Zmak
authors: National Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Mihaela
authors: M
authors: Obrovac
authors: Epidemiology Service, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Zvjezdana
authors: Z
authors: Lovric
authors: Department for Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Mateja
authors: M
authors: Jankovic Makek
authors: Ministry of Health, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors: Vera
authors: V
authors: Katalinic Jankovic
mesh_terms: D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: TB in mentally ill patients; TB infection control; TB outbreak