KINGSTON, Jamaica — Five inmates at a local correctional facility have been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB).

In a release on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in collaboration with the Correctional Services, says it is now conducting tuberculosis screening for inmates at the local correctional facility.

The facility was not named.

The inmates have been hospitalised and are responding well to treatment, the release said.

No staff member has tested positive for TB.

The Department of Correctional Services says the contacts of the hospitalised inmates have been identified and are being screened.

Already, close to 100 inmates have been administered the Mantoux skin test, which, together with screening for symptoms – including coughing, weight loss and fever – is done as part of the first level of evaluation for TB.

The next level of evaluation involves a chest x-ray and a sputum test for which inmates are currently being scheduled.

TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It usually attacks the lungs, though it can attack any part of the body, including the kidneys, spine, and brain.

Not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick with the result that there are two TB conditions that exist.

These are latent TB infection, which is where the bacteria live in the body without getting you sick; and TB disease, which is where the bacteria are active in the body.

If not treated properly, TB can be fatal.