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Acting Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe. - A varicella virus (chickenpox) outbreak continues at the Maximum Security Prison, Arouca, with five more inmates suspected of having the condition being placed into quarantine, while another prison officer was diagnosed with the infection as the service rolls out a vaccination drive.
Responding to questions from Newsday on January 15 via WhatsApp, Commissioner of Prisons Carlos Corraspe said the first case diagnosed on November 11 was an inmate who had just transferred into the facility.
"Since then, we have 43 inmates who have been treated and returned to general population, and 40 are in containment now. So that's with overlap, it's around 80 inmates over the 65 days of managing," Corraspe said.
He noted that cases have been growing over the last two weeks. Up to January 10, there were 29 active cases among inmates, with 43 having been released back into the prison population. Seven officers had also contracted the virus at the time. The commissioner said the recent officer's diagnosis made six who were being actively managed.
The Prison Service has since been using the guidance of the Prisons Medical Officer, the Prisons Health Services, the Ministry of Health and the County Medical Officer of Health for St George to manage and contain the situation.
In immediate response to the outbreak, the prison service established medical screening of inmates by infirmary staff for early detection, hourly sanitisation of shared spaces and repositioned a dedicated building as an isolation area where all confirmed cases would be relocated for 21 days.
Inmates would remain in quarantine until they undergo a medical re-examination by the Prisons Medical Officer for medical clearance before readmission into the general population.
As a preventative measure, the Prison Service also introduced a vaccination drive against the virus for the estimated 2,500 officers across various facilities, beginning on January 15. Just over 75 officers had been inoculated as of midday.
"The process is continuing today and tomorrow in the first instance. It is absolutely voluntary. Also, once you have previously contracted chickenpox, you are not susceptible to contracting it again. Also, some officers would have been vaccinated in the past, so none of these categories of officers would require vaccination."
The Prison Service's release said appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, such as approved masks and gloves, was also issued to the officers for use while they perform their duties.
Newsday was unable to reach Prison Officers' Association president Gerard Gordon for comment.
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