Six out of 10 inmates are infected with TB

Mr Zakari Owoko, the assistant commissioner prisons, urged the government to reduce congestion in prison cells and improve the standard of living of the inmates.

Kampala

Congestion in prisons is exacerbating the spread of tuberculosis among inmates, an assistant commissioner for health with the Uganda Prisons Service has said.

Dr Michael Kyomya said on Wednesday that six out of every 10 prisoners suffer from TB. Many of them are also co-infected with HIV/Aids.

“Although people are still unaware of the disease [TB], they should always go for early testing in case they show symptoms so that it can be stopped from spreading,” Dr Kyomya said.

He was addressing journalists at Luzira Upper Prison grounds during celebrations to mark World Tuberculosis Day.

“There is a problem of accessing diagnosis and treatment services for drug-resistant TB in prisons accompanied with inadequate health workers. This poses a high possibility of the disease spreading to all inmates,” Dr Kyomya said.

“Most infected inmates who are discharged from prison go out and spread the virus to the community and they are not monitored on whether they continued with the treatment,” he added.

Mr Zakari Owoko, the assistant commissioner prisons, urged the government to reduce congestion in prison cells and improve the standard of living of the inmates.

High disease burden
“The government should put much emphasis on the health system in prisons because it is very poor,” he said.

“Treatment does not only call for drugs and injections but feeding especially when they [inmates] fall sick,” Mr Owoko added.

Uganda is one of the 22 countries in the world with the highest burden of tuberculosis.
The 2010 world Health Organisation report indicates that about 440,000 multi-drug resistant cases were registered worldwide.