Quqnoos, July 1, 2008

'Half of Kabul's inmates are infected with TB'

Report calls for better food and hygiene in Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi prison

MORE than half of the prisoners in Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi jail are infected with tuberculosis, according to a study supported by the government.

Many children also live in the Afghanistan's prisons (IRIN Photo)

The study, authored by Dr Islam Saeed, found that about 55% of prisoners locked in the jail are infected with the deadly disease.

Dr Saeed, whose study into turberculosis in prisoners was supported by the Aga Khan University in Pakistan and the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, said more needed to be done to prevent the disease from spreading among prisoners in the jail.

He said more medical attention needed to be given to the poor, the elderly and underweight prisoners.

"The rebuilding of damaged prison facilities and the distribution of prisoners will decrease overcrowding and the chance of TB transmission," he said.

He added that better food and hygiene would also decrease the level of infection.

The national tuberculosis program has strengthened its existing activities in prisons and has promised to establish a comprehensive centre for the disease as a result of the study's findings, Dr Saeed said.

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