RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Voluntary anonymous linked study of the prevalence of HIV infection and hepatitis C among inmates in a Canadian federal penitentiary for women
JF Canadian Medical Association Journal
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 1605
OP 1609
VO 153
IS 11
A1 P. M. Ford
A1 C. White
A1 H. Kaufmann
A1 J. MacTavish
A1 M. Pearson
A1 S. Ford
A1 P. Sankar-Mistry
A1 P. Connop
YR 1995
UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/153/11/1605.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection and hepatitis C among inmates of a federal penitentiary for women. DESIGN: Voluntary, anonymous, linked, point-prevalence study involving testing of blood samples for antibodies to HIV and hepatitis C virus. PARTICIPANTS: All inmates of the multilevel security federal Prison for Women, Kingston, Ont., who volunteered to participate in the study. Inmates at this long-stay facility are from across Canada. OUTCOME MEASURE: Seroprevalence rate among participants of antibodies to HIV and hepatitis C virus. RESULTS: Of the 130 inmates available for study 113 (86.9%) agreed to donate a blood sample. One woman (0.9%) was HIV positive; 45 (39.8%) were positive for hepatitis C antibody. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to obtain a high participation rate in a voluntary, anonymous, linked point-prevalence study in a long-stay penitentiary. The HIV seroprevalence rate of 0.9% is lower than that found in studies in provincial (short-stay) prisons. However, the high rate of antibodies to hepatitis C suggests a significant level of risk behaviour, most likely injection drug use, and suggests the potential for a rapid increase in the rate of HIV infection should the number of newly admitted HIV-positive inmates who use injection drugs rise.