Mercy Chaluma, CNS Correspondent, Malawi
[First published in mbc.mw]
Government is set to start screening all prisoners for Tuberculosis – TB in all the prisons of the country as one way of eliminating the disease. According to Minister of Health Dr Peter Kumpalume, the initiative is coming at a time when statistics shows that 50% of prisoners in Malawi have TB which translates to the highest number of concentration of TB patients in the country.
Kumpalume said the Ministry of Health officials responsible will be screening the prisoners before they get into prison and after they are released. He said government through the Ministry of Health decided to introduce the initiative so that when people are going into prison they do not bring in new infections, and when they are released they do not take the infection to the community.
“The best way to do that is to make sure that every prisoner who is coming in is screened for TB and if they are positive, they are put on treatment to stop the infection coming into the prison,” said Kumpalume. According to the Minister all resources are in place for the initiative to take off and its implementation will start soon.
Mercy Chaluma, Citizen News Service - CNS
July 26, 2016
[First published in mbc.mw]Government is set to start screening all prisoners for Tuberculosis – TB in all the prisons of the country as one way of eliminating the disease. According to Minister of Health Dr Peter Kumpalume, the initiative is coming at a time when statistics shows that 50% of prisoners in Malawi have TB which translates to the highest number of concentration of TB patients in the country.
Kumpalume said the Ministry of Health officials responsible will be screening the prisoners before they get into prison and after they are released. He said government through the Ministry of Health decided to introduce the initiative so that when people are going into prison they do not bring in new infections, and when they are released they do not take the infection to the community.
“The best way to do that is to make sure that every prisoner who is coming in is screened for TB and if they are positive, they are put on treatment to stop the infection coming into the prison,” said Kumpalume. According to the Minister all resources are in place for the initiative to take off and its implementation will start soon.
Mercy Chaluma, Citizen News Service - CNS
July 26, 2016
