An inmate at Angunakolapelessa Prison has tested positive for meningitis and seven other inmates with suspected symptoms are under observation at Hambantota Hospital, health officials said on Sunday.
Hambantota Hospital Director Dr. Ayanthi Jayawardena told NewsFirst the seven suspected cases had been admitted to the hospital and their medical reports were pending further verification.
The Department of Prisons separately confirmed that an inmate at the same facility had died recently following a sudden illness. Prison spokesperson A.C. Gajanayake said the exact cause of death had not yet been determined. Eight inmates in total were hospitalised after that death.
Angunakolapelessa is a closed prison in the Hambantota District, Southern Province, and one of the country’s larger correctional facilities. A confirmed meningitis case in a custodial setting raises distinct outbreak-control concerns given dormitory-style accommodation and limited capacity for isolation.
The Health Ministry has not yet indicated whether the prison cases are linked to a separate cluster of suspected meningitis admissions reported earlier this week from schools and communities in Deniyaya, Diyatalawa, Kurunegala and Kandy, where more than 100 cases had been recorded across four administrative districts. That cluster was attributed by the Ministry’s chief epidemiologist primarily to viral meningitis, with confirmation from cerebrospinal fluid testing.
Sri Lanka recorded an earlier viral meningitis cluster in the Deniyaya area on May 9, which the GMOA at the time flagged as warranting closer Ministry attention.
