Zambia Jails Breed AIDS, TB, Report Says

HIV and TB are spreading in Zambian prisons due to poor living conditions and the lack of medical care for inmates, three human rights organizations said Tuesday. Some prisoners have been detained for years in overcrowded cells - where they are more vulnerable to HIV and TB - before being brought to trial, reported Human Rights Watch, Prisons Care and Counseling Association (PCCA), and AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa.

"The conditions in TB isolation cells are life-threatening, yet inmates who have completed TB treatment choose to continue sleeping in the cells with prisoners with active TB because they are less crowded than general-population cells," the report says. Zambian prisons have just 14 health care workers for about 15,300 inmates, and only 15 of the 86 prisons have clinics or sick bays.

"People are dying," said Godfrey Malembeka, a former inmate and prisoner-rights activist who heads PCCA.

HIV testing and treatment for AIDS have improved at some prisons. HIV prevalence last was measured at 27 percent among inmates. However, a ban on condoms in prisons makes it difficult to prevent sexual transmission of HIV, the report says.

To view the report, "Unjust and Unhealthy: HIV, TB and Abuse in Zambian Prisons," visit http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/zambia0410webwcover.pdf.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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