GENEVA, March 22 (Reuters) - Tuberculosis is a major health problem in prisons, where new strains that are hard to treat are spreading rapidly, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

The Swiss-based humanitarian group, which provides aid in conflict zones and visits prisoners around the world, said the contagious disease is up to 100 times more prevalent in prisons than in the general public.

"This is often due to overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, ignorance of preventive measures and failure to supervise and ensure adherence to treatment," the ICRC said in a statement.

Prisons in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa have been fighting tuberculosis for several years, but an increase in cases of drug-resistant types of the disease has made eradication more difficult, the ICRC said.

Tuberculosis is spread through the air like the common cold. One-third of the world's population is infected with the microbes that cause the disease, and about 9 million people fall ill with active tuberculosis each year.

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