AFTER the measles outbreak inside the compound of Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, the BJMP in Barangay Singcang-Airport is also coordinating with the City Health Office (CHO) to conduct a mass immunization inside their jail.
Chief Inspector Ruth Estales, warden of BJMP Singcang-Airport, said Thursday, November 15, she already instructed their jail nurse to coordinate with the CHO for the mass immunization among the inmates or persons deprived of liberty (PDL).
“After the incident in BJMP-Handumanan, probably their visitors had also a relative here in our facility who might be a carrier of any illness. This will be our way (mass immunization) to prevent the measles outbreak here,” she said.
As of November 15, they do not have a case of measles, but two of their inmates are suffering from chicken pox and both of them have been placed in the isolation area, she said.
The BJMP Singcang-Airport has a total of 660 inmates.
On November 12, about 25 inmates have been suffering from fever and rashes inside the BJMP-Handumanan which have been considered by the Department of Health (DOH)-Western Visayas as a measles outbreak.
Read: Measles outbreak declared inside Handumanan jail
On November 14, about 1,000 inmates including the BJMP-Handumanan personnel were immunized by the CHO to stop the spread of the virus.
Of the 25 inmates, 19 inmates have been placed in the isolation area.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of CHO-Environment Sanitation Division, earlier said that since it’s a contained area, the transmission of the virus will spread immediately.
"We are all high-risk as being a carrier of these illnesses. The measles, mumps, and rubella diseases can be prevented through immunization," she said.