Deadly Tuberculosis Outbreak Exposes Ecuador’s Prison Crisis and Global Security Risks

The recent deaths of five more inmates in Ecuador’s Penitenciaría del Litoral, suspected to be caused by tuberculosis, mark yet another grim milestone in a spiraling crisis that has already claimed numerous lives. This facility—the country’s largest and most dangerous prison—now faces a deadly health emergency compounded by chronic overcrowding and violent gang warfare. Just the day before, seven prisoners succumbed under similar circumstances. The official statement from Ecuador's National Service for Integral Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) pointed to tuberculosis as the likely cause, although formal confirmation is pending forensic analysis. These fatalities come on the heels...