Africa: World Tuberculosis Day - New Approach Achieves Success Fighting Disease in Uganda Prisons

press release

Kampala/Geneva — On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling attention to the fact that the contagious and potentially fatal disease is a major health problem in prisons. A project run by the organization in three jails in Uganda shows that tuberculosis can be fought successfully in detention facilities.

"In 2013, the number of inmates infected by tuberculosis diminished for the first time since the project began in 2009," said Dr Raed Abu Rabi, who coordinates the ICRC's activities relating to detainee health care. "The treatment success rate was also significantly improved in comparison with the national average." A recent assessment, conducted by an independent expert two years after the project was handed over to the Ugandan authorities, showed that the treatment success rate increased from 63 to 86 per cent between 2009 and 2012.

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