Putnamville Correctional Facility is returning to normal operations Tuesday after an outbreak of H1N1 influenza among inmates and staff.
Visitation schedules have resumed and offenders are again allowed to participate in job and program assignments.
Currently, one offender remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Terre Haute Regional Hospital. Five offenders are exhibiting symptoms and are under medical observation at the correctional facility.
Update: Jan 26, 2016, 5:30 p.m.
Officials are offering inmates who previously turned down the flu vaccine in October the chance to get vaccinated now.
So far about half of those offenders have chosen to receive the vaccine this time around.
Indiana Department of Correction Medical Director Doctor Michael Mitcheff says officials will focus on how to increase those immunization numbers of flu vaccines in the future.
"I just talked to a colleague at Missouri who said they incentivize and give them a granola bar and it increases the incidents of them taking it," Mitcheff says. "So those are the types of things we're going to look at and think outside the box."
Officials say visitation at the facility will remain closed until further notice.
Update: Jan 26, 2016, 1:15 p.m.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Brian Smith, Superintendent of the Putnamville Correctional Facility, confirmed the illness is the H1N1 strain of influenza.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 35 inmates have shown symptoms. Of that, 18 have been admitted to the hospital at one time. Currently, 13 inmates remain in the hospital, two of those in intensive care.
Two staff members were hospitalized with symptoms for one day; a few other staff members also exhibited symptoms.
All staff members and inmates who have not previously had a flu vaccination have been offered the vaccination now. Of the 35 inmates who were infected in this outbreak, only three had received the vaccination previous to becoming ill.
The inmate who died, a Mexican national, was co-infected with MRSA and pneumonia. The man's identity has not been released. According to Superintendent Smith, he was not a recent transfer to Putnamville and had been in the facility since May or June.
Although, IDOC did send inmates from other correctional facilities to assist with the outbreak of avian influenza in Dubois County, officials confirmed Tuesday that no inmates from Putnamville were sent.
Update: Jan. 25, 2016, 7:20 p.m.
In a statement released Monday night the Indiana Department of Correction confirmed the flu-like virus is spreading.
As of Monday night 18 inmates are at the Terre Haute Regional Hospital and four of those are in the ICU unit. Eleven inmates are in the health care unit at the Putnamville Correctional Facility and five other prisoners are under observation.
Brian Smith, Putnamville Correctional Facility Superintendent and Dr. Michael Mitcheff, IDOC Medical Director plan to address the media Tuesday afternoon at a press conference in Greencastle.
Original Post:
One inmate from the Putnamville Correctional Facility is dead and nine others are under hospital observation. Another nine inmates are under observation at the prison. The Department of Correction is blaming a progressive virus.
According to a media release, several prisoners began to show flu or pneumonia-like symptoms last week. They were put under observation at the prison, but after their symptoms worsened, they were transported to the Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
One offender, whose name has not been released, died Friday.
Another male inmate is on a ventilator.
The IDOC is working with the State Health Department and Centers for Disease Control to identify the specific causes of the illness.
In the meantime, the staff at the Putnamville Facility is taking a number of precautions including isolation, bleaching units and wearing masks.
