A contagious skin disease has out broken in Wau prison in South Sudan’s Western Bahar el Ghazal state, a prison police officer said. He said more than 200 people were affected.
Anthony Majok, Director of the Wau Prison, confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that a skin disease has broken out among the detainees in Wau prison. “The disease Infects the private parts of the body, and causes itching,” he said.
Majok attributed the problem to lack of sanitation due to overcrowding of prisoners in Wau Central Prison. He disclosed that about 213 inmates were infected by the diseases so far. He added such a disease was previously reported to the local authorities and some health organizations.
The prison director pointed out that a medical team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the suffering prisoners last week.
The doctors carried out a survey and provided treatment to the infected inmates in the prison, according to Majok. “After the doctors came, they found about 213 infected prisoners. They treated them and then started to work on precautionary measures which is the most important step to eradicate the infection,” he said.
He revealed that the prison authorities plan to relocate some inmates to other prisons in the state.
File photo: A prison in Raja, Western Bahr al Ghazal (Radio Tamazuj)