Diphtheria outbreak claims life of Pollsmoor Prison inmate

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Health confirmed a diphtheria outbreak at the Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in the Western Cape, where one inmate has died.

The 19-year-old prisoner died on Sunday after he started experiencing symptoms of the infection a week before. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases , diphtheria is a contagious and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that occurs in two forms - respiratory diphtheria and cutaneous diphtheria.

The department said that eight more inmates have tested positive for diphtheria, with only two experiencing mild symptoms. It mentioned that those who have been in close contact with the affected prisoners are isolated to prevent the infection from spreading."The public health measures were undertaken to put the outbreak under control, and these include contact tracing of inmates, correctional services staff, consulting healthcare workers and emergency services personnel."

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Health Department confirms diphtheria outbreak at Pollsmoor, one inmate diesEight inmates tested positive for diphtheria, two of them presenting with mild symptoms and the other six are asymptomatic.
Source: TheCitizen_News - 🏆 6. / 75 Read more »

Diphtheria Outbreak at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Western CapeThe Health Department said that the 19-year-old prisoner succumbed after experiencing symptoms a week prior, adding that eight more inmates have tested positive for diphtheria.
Source: ewnupdates - 🏆 30. / 53 Read more »

Diphtheria outbreak at Western Cape prison kills inmateHealth measures have been put in place to control the outbreak that has claimed the life of a 19-year-old inmate.
Source: BoksburgNews - 🏆 40. / 51 Read more »