News

Health emergency declared at Galle Prison

Published

2 years ago

August 22, 2023

editor

A health emergency has been declared inside the Galle Prison, in the wake of a bacterial outbreak.

Speaking to media, Deputy Director General of Health Services – Dr. G. Wijesuriya has said that initial investigations have revealed the recent spread of an illness among the inmates had been mostly revealed to be an outbreak of the Meningococcal bacteria.

Meanwhile, spokesperson of the Prisons Department – Chandana Ekanayake has said that a special medical team from the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital has been dispatched to the Galle Prison.

At the present,16 inmates are ill and 09 of them are being treated at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital while the other 07 are being treated at the Prisons Hospital, the Prisons Spokesman has added.

Two deaths were reported and the postmortems were done yesterday (21) with the doctors coming to an open conclusion.

Dr. Wijesuriya further notes that measures are being taken to ascertain how the bacteria had reached the prison. He said that there had been a report of a former inmate being admitted to the Karapitiya a week after his release and subsequently died. “We are trying to ascertain whether he was the primary source,” Dr. Wijesuriya said, adding that the members of this demised individual are also being tested.

He also said that health experts have also recommended that all inmates and staff at the prison be given antibiotic shots.

Dr. Wijesuriya also said that all measures will be taken to prevent the spread of this bacteria among the society.

Producing inmates in court, temporarily halted

Meanwhile, producing inmates at the Galle prison for court proceedings has been suspended for two weeks.

Prison authorities say that measures would be taken to produce prisoners for court proceedings virtually if required.

News

COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

Published

10 hours ago

May 31, 2025

editor

The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Anudi misses out from Miss World Quarter-Finals

Published

10 hours ago

May 31, 2025

editor

The Miss World organization has announced its quarter-finalists, selecting 40 contestants from across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Sri Lanka’s Anudi Gunasekara, was not selected in the top 40, despite being recognized for her impressive performances in the Multimedia and Head-to-Head challenges.

The top 40 consisted of 10 contestants each from Asia & Oceania, Europe, Africa and the Americas.