Prisoner tests positive for tuberculosis, sending CCF on high alert
82 tests on prison workers and residents result negative
Corradino prison is on high alert for a potential outbreak of tuberculosis after an inmate contracted the respiratory disease.
The prisoner was taken to Mater Dei Hospital on Sunday, March 16 and tested positive for tuberculosis on Tuesday, the Correctional Services Agency said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Prison officials have since tested 82 people within prison– both inmates and workers – for tuberculosis. All those tests resulted negative, the agency said.
Tuberculosis is a serious respiratory condition caused by bacteria that spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit. Although treatable with antibiotics, the World Health Organization describes it as the world’s top infectious killer.
It is exceeding rare in Malta, as tuberculosis vaccination has ensured infection rates are well below global averages.
In its statement, the agency said that the prisoner who tested positive for TB had undergone all the standard medical tests recommended by the Department of Public Health at the time he was admitted to prison.