Inmates to be checked for TB

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PRISON management in East Sepik are set to bring medical officers into the prison this week to check and examine prisoners for tuberculosis (TB) .
Boram prison acting commander Insp Joe Imini said there was information of TB being contracted by some prisoners and spreading inside the prison.
“We have not receive any reports of TB patients in the prison but we will have to bring in medical staff from Boram general hospital to check and confirm it for us,” Imini said.
He said some prisoners were hiding and using mobile phones illegally spreading information to the public and they had to find out from health workers first.
Imini said a prison health official had written to Boram hospital and they were awaiting a response.
He said there could be other explanations for the coughing and symptoms among prisoners but he wanted to confirm things.
TB is a serious infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects lungs, an airborne disease spread through infected person’s cough or sneeze.
It spread easily in a crowded living area and the sharing of eating utensils.
According to The National’s finding, Boram prison has 284 prisoners (111 convicted and 173 remand prisoners) and 48 warders besides administration staff.
The facility was built to hold a maximum of 240 prisoners and required a manpower strength of 200.