TB, HIV warning for Cambodia's prisons

PHNOM PENH, 1 October 2010 (IRIN) - Tuberculosis and HIV rates in Cambodia's largest prison are roughly six and four times the respective national averages, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

MSF screened 1,783 inmates at the Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh and found 4 percent had TB, and 3 percent were HIV-positive. The World Health Organization and government report Cambodia's general population has rates of 0.68 and 0.7 percent, respectively.

Overcrowding in Cambodia's prisons has exacerbated this global problem, Heng Hak, head of the prison system, told IRIN. The country's 25 prisons have an official capacity of 8,000 inmates but hold nearly 14,000 people, attended to by 96 health workers, he added. Since the beginning of this year, seven prisons have gained healthcare facilities, but they are not yet fully staffed.

Emmanuel Lavieuville, head of MSF in Cambodia, said the screening was "part of a longer process that will take at least a couple of years" to significantly improve healthcare services in Cambodia's prisons.
Please click here to read more...