Special campaign to screen UP prisoners for tuberculosis, HIV from Oct 15

The Uttar Pradesh government will launch a special campaign next month to screen and test inmates of all the 74 jails of the state for tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis B and C, and sexually transmitted diseases, officials said.

The 'Integrated STI, HIV, TB and Hepatitis (ISHTH) campaign in Prisons and Other Closed Settings' will be run by the Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society in collaboration with National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).

According to the Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, there are about 1.16 lakh prisoners in the 74 jails of which, 65 per cent are undertrials and about 35 per cent have been convicted.

At present, 1,550 of them are HIV positive, 440 have tuberculosis, 174 are infected with hepatitis C and 56 have hepatitis B, officials said, adding that they are being treated free of cost in the jails.

Speaking about the campaign, which is likely to begin on October 15, Additional Project Director of UP State AIDS Control Society, Hiralal, said nodal officers will be appointed to arrange for all the tests and medicines for the infected inmates.

"A special screening campaign to screen and test for tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted infections in jails across the state will be started in October," Additional Project Director, UP State AIDS Control Society, Hiralal, told PTI on Sunday.

"Doctors and paramedical staff have been trained technically and practically for this purpose. In line with the Centre's pledge to make the country TB-free by 2025, UP will soon start intensive screening and testing of jail inmates for TB from next month," he added.

In 2016, through a special campaign with the joint efforts of the State Prison Department and Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, HIV testing of 89,905 prisoners in 69 jails of the state was done. Out of which 470 prisoners were identified as HIV positive and arrangements were made for their treatment, he said.

The department lays greater emphasis on HIV testing because the immunity of infected patients is very low and they are more likely to suffer from tuberculosis, he added.

"In the 2023 campaign, nodal officers have been designated by coordinating with the State Tuberculosis Department, Communicable Disease Department, and Women Welfare Department," Hiralal said.

Joint director of State AIDS Control Society Ramesh Srivastava said as part of the campaign, teams will visit jails in all districts of the state and examine the prisoners there.

"Those with HIV, TB, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections will be separated and their designated nodal officers will arrange for all tests and medicines for them for free," he told PTI.

The campaign will be monitored and reviewed by the State Prison Department, Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, Tuberculosis Department and Communicable Disease Department, he said.

According to Srivastava, 30 to 40 per cent of tuberculosis cases are either detected late or are not detected at all and these infections continue to spread as one patient suffering from tuberculosis can infect 10 to 15 people in a year.

"Therefore, we are also emphasising that even if a prisoner is released from jail and goes home, he should get his treatment done at the nearest health centre, so that he does not infect his family members and people around him," he said.

Apart from the jails, there are plans to cover women's shelter homes and juvenile homes under the campaign, Hiralal said.

"It is proposed to get about 1.16 lakh prisoners tested during the campaign starting in October. Apart from this, women and children living in shelters and juvenile homes will also be examined," he said.

State Tuberculosis Officer Shailendra Bhatnagar said TB weakens the immunity and makes the individual susceptible to other infections. The situation gets compounded when it comes to jail inmates.

"As soon as a case of tuberculosis is confirmed inside a jail, treatment has to start immediately," he asserted.

Bhatnagar said from January to December 2022, nearly 5.24 lakh tuberculosis patients were found in Uttar Pradesh and they are being treated. Till August 2023, about 4 lakh patients have been identified and their treatment has been started.

"We are making efforts to eliminate this disease from the state by 2025," he said.

Taking about the care being provided to jail inmates suffering from tuberculosis, Senior Superintendent of Bareilly District Jail, Vipin Mishra told PTI, "They are given one egg daily so that they get adequate protein. They are also given seasonal fruits and get examined by the jail doctors from time to time. All the tests and medicines are free."

Mishra said at present there are two tuberculosis patients and 30 HIV-infected patients in Bareilly District Jail.