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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2008

R. G. Batey, T. Jones and C. McAllister

Prison populations in Western countries are characterised by a high hepatitis C prevalence. This reflects a high rate of imprisonment for drug related offences. Prison entrants…

112

Abstract

Prison populations in Western countries are characterised by a high hepatitis C prevalence. This reflects a high rate of imprisonment for drug related offences. Prison entrants who are HCV‐negative face a significant risk of acquiring hepatitis C. Effective prevention strategies and successful treatment of a significant percentage of hepatitis C‐positive inmates could reduce the risk of transmission in the prison context significantly. Several reports of treating hepatitis C in prisoners in major facilities have been published. We report our experience of establishing a liver clinic service in two regional prisons in New South Wales, Australia. Liver biopsy requirements to access treatment in Australia meant that only 46 of 196 reviewed patients were able to commence treatment in our 5‐year experience. Treatment completion rate was 61% and end of treatment viral response was 57%. The removal of liver biopsy requirements in Australia in April 2006 has freed up access to treatment and our results encourage further effort to optimise the process of assessment and treatment in this high‐risk population.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 February 2023

SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi, Behnam Farhoudi, Elnaz Shahmohamadi, Mehrnaz Rasoolinejad, Maliheh Hasannezhad, Mohammad Rasool Rashidi, Omid Dadras, Ali Moradi, Zohal Parmoon, Hooman Ebrahimi and Ali Asadollahi-Amin

Hepatitis C is one of the major health issues in both developed and developing countries. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is more common in prisoners than in the general…

Abstract

Purpose

Hepatitis C is one of the major health issues in both developed and developing countries. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is more common in prisoners than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV and its associated risk factors in Iranian male prisoners in Tehran.

Design/methodology/approach

In this cross-sectional study, the authors investigated the frequency and risk factors of hepatitis C infection among male prisoners in the Great Tehran Prison. Information on risk factors including the length of imprisonment, previous history of imprisonment, history of drug injection, history of tattooing, history of piercing, history of high-risk sex and family history of hepatitis C were extracted from patients’ records. To evaluate HCV status, blood samples were collected and tested.

Findings

In this study, 179 participants were included. Nine participants (5.0%, 95% CI, 2.3-9.3) were positive for hepatitis C. HCV infection was not significantly associated with age, marital status, education, previous history of imprisonment, length of imprisonment, piercing and high-risk sex; however, there was a significant association between a history of tattooing and a history of injecting drug use and Hepatitis C.

Originality/value

The prevalence of hepatitis C among male prisoners in Great Tehran Prison was 5% in this study, similar to recent studies on prisoners in Tehran. A history of drug injections as well as tattooing were the most important risk factors for hepatitis C in male prisoners.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2008

Emanuele Pontali and Franco Ferrari

Correctional facilities host a disproportionately high prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV infection. We evaluated the prevalence of HBV and/or HCV co‐infection among HIV‐infected…

169

Abstract

Correctional facilities host a disproportionately high prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV infection. We evaluated the prevalence of HBV and/or HCV co‐infection among HIV‐infected inmates entering our correctional facility. Over a 30‐month period, 173 consecutive HIV‐infected inmates entered our institution and were evaluated. HCV co‐infection was observed in more than 90% of the tested HIV‐infected inmates, past HBV infection in 77.4% and active HBV co‐infection in 6.7%; triple coinfection (HIV, HCV and HBs‐Ag positivity) was seen in 6.1% of them. Given the observed high prevalence of co‐infection, testing for HBV and HCV in all HIV‐infected inmates at entry in any correctional system is recommended to identify those in need of specific care and/or preventing interventions.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 September 2010

Alicia Suarez

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is highly prevalent in the United States, yet is largely culturally invisible. This study examines what people know about their illness, both before and…

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is highly prevalent in the United States, yet is largely culturally invisible. This study examines what people know about their illness, both before and after diagnosis, and the relationship to race. The data are from in-depth interviews in 2004 with 53 persons, mostly white or African American, with HCV in the southeastern United States. The respondents have varying educational backgrounds, family incomes, and possible modes of transmission of HCV. Regardless of whether the diagnosis of HCV came as a surprise, respondents had a range of reactions including fear, shock, sadness, and ambivalence. Knowledge of the disease postdiagnosis varies as some people have expert knowledge, moderate knowledge, or inaccurate to no knowledge of the disease. Minority respondents have less knowledge of HCV than whites. This racial disparity in knowledge has profound implications for people with HCV and the larger society.

Details

The Impact of Demographics on Health and Health Care: Race, Ethnicity and Other Social Factors
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-715-8

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2013

Stephanie E. Perrett, Noel Craine and Marion Lyons

This paper aims to describe the strategies being put in place to develop blood borne virus (BBV) services across prisons in Wales, UK, in response to the recommendations for…

222

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the strategies being put in place to develop blood borne virus (BBV) services across prisons in Wales, UK, in response to the recommendations for prisons within the Welsh Government's Blood Borne Viral Hepatitis Action Plan for Wales.

Design/methodology/approach

A task and finish group was established to ensure multidisciplinary engagement between healthcare and custody staff. A service improvement package was developed focusing on awareness raising and/or development of clinical services for prisoners, prison officers and prison healthcare staff.

Findings

Prison healthcare staff have undergone training in BBVs and are being supported to deliver clinical services to prisoners. Training has been delivered in pre/post test discussion and dried blood spot testing; care pathways have been established between prison and community specialists for treatment referrals. An e‐learning module is being rolled out to raise awareness amongst custody staff and encourage occupational hepatitis B vaccination. Literature on “liver health” has been produced to be given to every prisoner across Wales.

Social implications

It is envisaged that BBV services will become a routine part of prison care in Wales. Data on activity are being collected for evaluation and it is hoped that tackling BBVs in prisons will help reduce rates of infection both within prisons and in the wider community.

Originality/value

This paper describes new initiatives that have been established to tackle BBVs across Welsh prisons and will be relevant to any prison healthcare staff looking to develop similar services.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2016

Katharina Kieslich, Jeonghoon Ahn, Gabriele Badano, Kalipso Chalkidou, Leonardo Cubillos, Renata Curi Hauegen, Chris Henshall, Carleigh B Krubiner, Peter Littlejohns, Lanting Lu, Steven D Pearson, Annette Rid, Jennifer A Whitty and James Wilson

New hepatitis C medicines such as sofosbuvir underline the need to balance considerations of innovation, clinical evidence, budget impact and equity in health priority-setting…

Abstract

Purpose

New hepatitis C medicines such as sofosbuvir underline the need to balance considerations of innovation, clinical evidence, budget impact and equity in health priority-setting. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of public participation in addressing these considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a comparative case study approach. It explores the experience of four countries – Brazil, England, South Korea and the USA – in making coverage decisions about the antiviral sofosbuvir and involving the public and patients in these decision-making processes.

Findings

Issues emerging from public participation ac tivities include the role of the universal right to health in Brazil, the balance between innovation and budget impact in England, the effect of unethical medical practices on public perception in South Korea and the legitimacy of priority-setting processes in the USA. Providing policymakers are receptive to these issues, public participation activities may be re-conceptualized as processes that illuminate policy problems relevant to a particular context, thereby promoting an agenda-setting role for the public.

Originality/value

The paper offers an empirical analysis of public involvement in the case of sofosbuvir, where the relevant considerations that bear on priority-setting decisions have been particularly stark. The perspectives that emerge suggest that public participation contributes to raising attention to issues that need to be addressed by policymakers. Public participation activities can thus contribute to setting policy agendas, even if that is not their explicit purpose. However, the actualization of this contribution is contingent on the receptiveness of policymakers.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

Rocio Martin-Santos, Elfi Egmond, Myriam Cavero, Zoe Mariño, Susana Subira, Ricard Navines, Xavier Forns and Manuel Valdes

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection, antiviral therapy, depression, and gender…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection, antiviral therapy, depression, and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

CHC and its treatment options were reviewed examining their relationship with depression and gender.

Findings

CHC is a high prevalent chronic infection worldwide, being similar in men and women. However, the infection shows many gender differences in terms of innate response, genetic variability (i.e. IL-28B), route of transmission (i.e. intravenous drug use), disease progression (i.e. fibrosis), lifetime period (i.e. pregnancy), and risk factors (i.e. HIV). Both the hepatitis C infection and antiviral treatment (especially when using the pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon α), are highly associated with depression, where female gender constitutes a risk factor. It seems that the new direct-acting antiviral combinations produce fewer neuropsychiatric side effects. In fact, the presence of depression at baseline is no longer a limitation for the initiation of antiviral treatment. Antidepressant drugs have been recommended as current depression and prophylactic treatment in risk subgroups. However, caution should be exercised due to the risk of drug-drug interactions with some antiviral drugs. Women should be counselled prenatal, during and after pregnancy, taking into account the clinical situation, and the available evidence of the risks and benefits of antiviral and antidepressant treatments. Multidisciplinary approach shows cost-efficacy results.

Originality/value

The paper clarifies the complex management of CHC therapy and the importance of individualizing treatment. The results also underline the need for an integrated multidisciplinary approach.

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Laurent Getaz, Alejandra Casillas, Sandrine Motamed, Jean-Michel Gaspoz, Francois Chappuis and Hans Wolff

The environmental and demographic characteristics of closed institutions, particularly prisons, precipitate morbidity during hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. Given the high…

Abstract

Purpose

The environmental and demographic characteristics of closed institutions, particularly prisons, precipitate morbidity during hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. Given the high prevalence of chronic liver disease and other risk factors in the prison setting, the purpose of this paper is to examine HAV-immunity and its associated factors in this population.

Design/methodology/approach

The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009: a serology screening for HAV IgG was carried out among 116 inmates in Switzerland’s largest pre-trial prison. Other participant characteristics were collected through a structured face-to-face questionnaire with a physician.

Findings

In terms of significant demographics, Africa (53.5 percent) and the Balkans/Eastern Europe (36.2 percent) were the main regions of origin; a minority of inmates were from Western Europe (6.9 percent), Latin America (2.6 percent) or Asia (0.9 percent). The authors identified hepatitis A antibody-negative serology (lack of immunity) in five out of 116 prisoners (4.3 percent, 95 percent CI 1.4-9.7). Among participants of European origin alone, five out of 50 inmates were hepatitis A antibody-negative (10 percent, 95 percent CI 3.3-21.8), whereas the 66 inmates from other all continents were hepatitis A antibody-positive (immune) (p=0.026).

Originality/value

In this prison population composed of mostly African migrants, hepatitis A immunity was high. This reaffirms that region of origin is highly associated with childhood immunity against HAV. HAV vaccination should take into account a patient’s area of origin and his/her risk factors for systemic complications, if ever infected. This targeted strategy would offer herd immunity, and seek out the most vulnerable individuals who are potentially at risk of new exposure in this precarious setting.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2021

Rebecca Jane Bosworth, Rohan Borschmann, Frederick L. Altice, Stuart Alistair Kinner, Kate Dolan and Michael Farrell

People in prison are at a higher risk of preventable mortality from infectious disease such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)…

Abstract

Purpose

People in prison are at a higher risk of preventable mortality from infectious disease such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and tuberculosis (TB) than those in the community. The extent of infectious disease-related mortality within the prison setting remains unclear. The purpose of this paper was to collate available information on infectious disease-related mortality, including the number of deaths and calculate the person-time death rate.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors searched databases between 1 January 2000 and 18 November 2020 for studies reporting HIV, HBV, HCV, TB and/or HIV/TB-related deaths among people in prison.

Findings

The authors identified 78 publications drawn from seven Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’ regions encompassing 33 countries and reporting on 6,568 deaths in prison over a 20-year period. HIV/AIDS (n = 3,305) was associated with the highest number of deaths, followed by TB (n = 2,892), HCV (n = 189), HIV/TB (n = 173) and HBV (n = 9). Due to the limitations of the available published data, it was not possible to meta-analyse or in any other way synthesise the available evidence.

Research limitations/implications

To inform targeted efforts to reduce mortality, there is a need for more, better quality data to understand infectious disease-related mortality in custodial settings. Increased investment in the prevention and management of infectious diseases in custodial settings, and in documenting infectious disease-related deaths in prison, is warranted and will yield public health benefits.

Originality/value

To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first scoping review focussed on deaths due to these infections among people in prison internationally. The gaps identified form recommendations to improve the future collection and reporting of prison mortality data.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 September 2014

Sarah Larney, Curt G. Beckwith, Nickolas D. Zaller, Brian T. Montague and Josiah Rich

The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential benefits and challenges of applying a strategy of “seek, test, treat and retain” (STTR) to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the US…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential benefits and challenges of applying a strategy of “seek, test, treat and retain” (STTR) to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the US criminal justice system.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on the published literature to illustrate how each component of STTR could be applied to HCV in the US criminal justice system, and describe challenges to the implementation of this strategy.

Findings

The burden of morbidity and mortality associated with chronic HCV infection in the USA is increasing and without significantly increased treatment uptake, will likely continue to do so for several decades. The authors argue that the US criminal justice system is an ideal focus for HCV case finding and treatment due to a high prevalence of infection and large volume of individuals in contact with this system. STTR would identify large numbers of HCV infections, leading to opportunities for secondary prevention and primary care. Important challenges to the implementation of STTR include treatment costs and training of prison medical providers.

Originality/value

This paper highlights opportunities to address HCV in the US criminal justice system.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

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