Bahrain denies claims that tuberculosis spreads in jails

• Bahrain denies there are “active” tuberculosis cases in its prisons.
• World Health Organization: TB kills 1.5 million people each year.
• All necessary preventative measures have been taken, said Bahrain’s health ministry.

The Bahraini government denied on Saturday that there were “active” tuberculosis cases in its prisons after Amnesty International accused authorities of failing to control the spread of the contagious bacterial infection.

The health ministry of the Gulf state said one case that had been quarantined for two weeks is now in “stable condition,” but there are “no active tuberculosis cases” among prison inmates.

The statement came two days after Amnesty International warned that Bahrain’s “inadequate response” to an outbreak in Jaw prison was putting prisoners’ health at risk.

It said at least two inmates with symptoms of the disease that attacks the lungs had been left for more than a week without tests.

A third was sent from hospital back to prison two days after his family was told he has tuberculosis. A fourth, according to Amnesty, was not moved to the hospital until March when he had been sick for almost a year and was semi-paralyzed.

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“Prisoners’ families have been sounding the alarm and raising complaints given that no measures have been put in place to protect other prisoners,” said the rights group.

Bahrain has shown “a disturbing lack of concern for prisoners’ health,” said Amna Guellali, Amnesty’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

According to the health ministry, “all necessary preventative measures have been taken,” and no cross-infection have been discovered. According to the ministry, inmates receive the same care “as that provided to everyone administered through the public health system.”

According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people each year, making it the leading infectious killer in the world.

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