6. HEALTH-CARE 06 Initial medical screening enables health personnel to detect and record any injuries, including potential signs of torture and other ill‑treatment. 07 Access to a medical professional as soon as possible upon admission ensures that prisoners with pre-existing health conditions continue to receive the care they need and have access to appropriate medication and other treatment. Newly arrived prisoners are unlikely to have medication with them, or may be too disoriented and stressed to remember to take their medication as required. It may also be that prison medical services need time to acquire and provide the specific type and quantities of medical supplies needed by individual prisoners. 08 Communicable diseases339 need to be identified, treatment provided and any necessary measures put in place to prevent such diseases from spreading within the prison. The risk of communicable diseases spreading in prisons is high due to the close confinement of large groups of people. Overcrowding exacerbates the risk of infection, and increases the likelihood of diseases being overlooked. Prisoners may also have a history of high risk behaviour, including drug use, self-tattooing and unprotected sex that may continue in prison and contribute to the spreading of diseases. 09 Prisoners are also more likely to develop mental health conditions due to their confinement. Such developments should therefore be identified as soon as possible so that the prisoner can receive appropriate treatment. 10 Lack of access to sufficient nutritious food, safe drinking water and adequate opportunities for physical exercise, which are common in prison settings, constitute further factors for the deterioration of health. Poor sanitary conditions within detention facilities increase the chances of skin diseases or parasitic diseases, and the lack of sunlight, fresh air, heating or ventilation can also seriously affect a prisoners’ health. 11 In a joint letter to the Chairperson of the fifty-second session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health noted that “the failure to ensure access to controlled medicines for the relief of pain and suffering threatens fundamental rights to health and to protection against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.340 Rehabilitation and reintegration 12 Ill-health and/or mental health conditions make rehabilitation even more difficult upon release from prison. Prisoners with such conditions may find it difficult to secure appropriate, sustainable employment and housing, and their capacity to successfully engage with the world outside prison may be compromised, particularly if their condition remains undiagnosed and/or untreated. 13 The timely identification and appropriate treatment of health issues, including drug and alcohol dependency, mental health conditions and any history of previous abuse, can play a significant role in the successful rehabilitation of prisoners. Even where specialized support has not yet been established in prisons, identifying prisoners’ specific needs can help to inform individualized treatment programmes. It can also, more broadly, help with the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of prisoners, including in relation to allocation, family contact and appropriate work and training programmes. 6 Prison management and resource planning 146 14 Identifying health needs soon after admission helps prison administrations to plan the relevant health-care provision, staffing and other resource requirements, including special dietary needs of prisoners. It will also assist prison management in planning transport, staffing and other logistical arrangements for scheduled hospital visits. 339. Communicable or infectious diseases are those that can be spread from one person to another, by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi. Defined by Health topics: Infectious Diseases, WHO at www.who.int/topics/infectious_diseases/en ; and Health topics: Communicable Diseases, WHO Europe at www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/communicable-diseases. 340. UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Report to the Human Rights Council, 1 February 2013, A/HRC/22/53, para 56. Guidance document on the Nelson Mandela Rules