UPDATE | Ohio prisoner with leprosy moved from hospital

COLUMBUS (AP) — An inmate diagnosed with leprosy has been released from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and transferred to a state prison department medical facility in Columbus.

Ohio prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Wednesday that people diagnosed with leprosy are not contagious after they’ve received several doses of the medication used to treat the bacterial infection, which is also known as Hansen’s disease.

Smith would not identify the inmate but said he was diagnosed with the disease on Oct. 14 while housed at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

The inmate is from the Pacific Ocean island chain of Micronesia, where officials believe he contracted the disease. It can take up to 20 years for symptoms of the disease to appear.