Tuberculosis notificada en cuatro municipios de la capital cubana

introduction: the case detection is the fundamental activity of screening carried out in cuba and one of the essential strategies to achieve the eradication of tuberculosis as a problem of public health. objective: to describe some characteristics found in the cases of tuberculosis reported in 2008 at the boyeros, 10 de octubre, arroyo naranjo and cotorro municipalities. methods: a descriptive study of cases of tuberculosis reported in 2008 was conducted in four municipalities of the southern of cuban capital. these persons were visited in their homes and interviewed using a previously validated additional questionnaire. a database was created processed in epi info 2002. results: in this four municipalities fifty nine cases of tuberculoses were reported with a disease incidence rate between 6.2 and 10.1/100 00 inhabitants. the 72.9 % of cases aged between 15 and 19 and the 78 % was of male sex; the 86.4 % had pulmonary tuberculosis and the 13.6 % deceased. the 91.5 % was of a risk group mainly the elderly, alcoholics and ex-imprisoneds. the 100 % of deceased were of risk group. conclusions: the four municipalities showed incidence rates > 5/100 000 inhabitants and all except the arroyo naranjo municipality were over the national rate; with predominance of ages from 15 to 59 years, male sex and pulmonary tuberculosis with a positive bacilloscopy most of them from important vulnerable groups in which are included most of deceased.