More 'robust' TB screening of prisoners needed in the wake of major outbreaks

The Irish Prison Service says it may introduce a blood test for TB for all prisoners upon committal in the wake of two outbreaks in Irish prisons over the last decade, at Cloverhill and Shelton Abbey. Stock Picture: Getty

Researchers have called for a more robust tuberculosis (TB) screening programme in prisons, after finding that a major outbreak in Cloverhill Prison in 2011 led to further infections in the community in subsequent years.

Researchers from Trinity College in Dublin, the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory, St James’s Hospital, and HSE public health specialists investigated the wider impacts of the 2011 TB outbreak, which led to claims from prisoners and prison staff and cost the state €5m in compensation.