At least 20 inmates at the Nyahururu GK Prison have been diagnosed with Tuberculosis (TB).
According to the Laikipia County health service department program coordinator Muriithi Wanjiku, at least 700 inmates have been screened and over 200 samples picked.
The cases were discovered following a week-long screening exercise at the correction facility conducted by health officials.
Health officials from the Nyahururu Referral Hospital said congestion in the prison was a major contributor to the disease spreading.
Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu noted that his administration has taken up the matter with the seriousness and construction of an isolation ward as advised by health officials was at the top of the priority list.
TB usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine.
The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.
Health officials challenged residents to go for regular screening and checkup to know whether they have the bacterial disease which is commonly spread through air from one infected person to another.
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