Tuberculosis in Argentina: social and gender inequality

This article seeks to describe the distribution of tuberculosis in Argentina and analyze the social and gender inequality of the distribution within the period of 1990-2011. In order to accomplish this, the official data from tuberculosis case notifications in the country was used, and the rates were calculated per 100,000 inhabitants by jurisdiction and department, by age group and by sex. The inequality in the distribution was analyzed using the Gini index and the association with social conditions using the concentration index and the effect index; the trend was studied using exponential regression. The results demonstrate that tuberculosis rates are higher between 20 and 34 years of age and are greater in males. There is a marked inequality among jurisdictions (Gini index = 0.273) which is even greater among departments (Gini index = 0.391) and is higher in females (0.411) than in males (0.394). The distribution of tuberculosis was associated with worse social conditions (effect index = -0.212) and this association was stronger in females (effect index = 11.4, 6.4, 16.4). The downward trend in tuberculosis rates observed between 1990 and 2011 has not contributed to reducing the gaps among jurisdictions and departments nor has it reduced the inequality in the distribution of tuberculosis associated with the unfavorable social conditions of the population.