TB prevalence rate in prisons still high

Zambia Prison Service says the Tuberculosis prevalence rate has remained high in prisons with about five thousand inmates currently on TB treatment.

Zambia Prisons Service Director for Health Services Dr. Chileshe Chisela has attributed the congestion in prisons to the high TB cases.

Dr Chisela has told Qfm News that the prisons authority is in this regard working tirelessly to ensure prisons are decongested to help save lives.

He adds the prisons authority has also put up interventions in collaboration with TB-Care and Centre for Infectious Disease in Zambia to ensure that all inmates are screened before they are admitted to any prison.

Dr. Chisela notes that the increase in the country’s population has also led to increase in crime leading to congestion in prisons.

He says inmates are therefore vulnerable to communicable diseases such as tuberculosis.