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Prison AIDS, overcrowding and food shortage lamented

    JOHANNESBURG

    Prisons in Southern African are battling HIV/AIDS and food shortages as a result of overcrowding and inadequate resources, according to Zambian Prison Services Commissioner Jethro Mumbuwa.

    At the start of a six-day Zimbabwe visit on Monday, Mumbuwa said prisons in his own country were currently housing 14,500 inmates, against a holding capacity of 5,000.

    The commissioner charged that the condition of jails in the region only encouraged the spread of AIDS and tuberculosis.

    Zimbabwe's official Herald newspaper quoted Mumbuwa as saying, "This is a very bad situation, which has compelled us to come [to Zimbabwe] and assess how our counterparts are coping with the problem."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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