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."

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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