Centre orders screening camps to curb prevalence of TB in prisons
Centre orders screening camps to curb prevalence of TB in prisons
The Union government has directed States to conduct screening camps in prisons to detect and control the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB).
In an advisory issued to Home Secretaries and Heads of Prisons, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the closed and overcrowded environment of prisons created conditions conducive to the rapid spread of the disease, increasing the health burden among inmates and potentially posing a risk to public health when they were released.
The advisory highlighted inadequate screening and lack of awareness as critical challenges in combating TB in prisons. As part of its commitment to eliminate TB in India, the Centre recently launched a 100-day intensified campaign.
The nationwide initiative aims to improve public health by reducing TB-related mortality and advancing efforts to eradicate the disease.
To address TB in prisons, States were told to organise screening camps during the first two weeks of February 2025. These camps would cover all inmates and would be conducted in consultation with State Health Departments.
The MHA’s advisory underscored the importance of active participation by prison authorities, noting that their involvement would significantly bolster the broader campaign to control TB.
States and Union Territories were advised to coordinate with District TB Officers to arrange the camps and procure Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials for display in prison facilities.
The nationwide campaign, which focuses on early detection, reducing TB-related deaths, and preventing new cases, is set to culminate in March 2025.
By the end of the campaign, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare aims to identify 2 lakh additional TB cases, achieve 90% screening coverage of vulnerable populations, including prison inmates, ensure 100% nutritional support linkage for TB patients, and certify 50,000 panchayats across the country as TB-free.
