At least 20 inmates at Nyahururu Prison Diagnosed with TB

At least 20 inmates from the Nyahururu GK Prison have been diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB) disease.

This was discovered following a week-long screening at the correction facility during an exercise conducted by health officials from the County Health Service department.

Out of the 20 inmates one has been diagnosed with a drug resistant TB.

According to the County TB program Coordinator Dr. Muriithi Wanjiku, at least 700 inmates have been screened and over 200 samples have been picked for further scrutiny noting that there has been a spike of the TB prevalence in the last two months.

The exercise was conducted by National TB Control Unit in collaboration with health officials from Nyahururu County & Referral Hospital, where it was reported that congestion at the prison was a major contributor to the disease spread at the facility.

The officials have since recommended for immediate construction of isolation Ward where victims can be put to avoid further spread.

Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu noted that his administration had taken up the matter with the seriousness it deserved, and hence pledged that it will spearhead the construction of the Isolation Ward.

Health officials challenged residents to go for regular screening and check up in order to know whether they have the bacterial disease which is commonly spread through air from an affected person to another person.

The experts said that TB screening is an effective method for identifying people who may not otherwise seek treatment due to misinformation or misunderstanding about their symptoms.

TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.

In most cases, TB is treatable and curable; however, people with TB can die if they do not get proper treatment.

Sometimes drug-resistant TB occurs when bacteria become resistant to the drugs used to treat TB. This means that the drug can no longer kill the TB bacteria.

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