HIV-1 infection among New York City inmates.
A blinded seroprevalence survey for HIV-1 infection was conducted among individuals entering New York City (NYC) prisons in 1989. Data collected included age group, race/ethnicity, syphilis serologic results and self-admitted drug use. Remnant serum specimens were tested for HIV-1 antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and confirmed by Western blot. Of 2236 inmates surveyed, 413 (18.5%) were HIV-1 positive. Rates varied by subgroup, and were higher for women than men (25.8 versus 16.1%; odds ratio 1.8; P less than 0.01), for drug users than inmates who denied drug use (25 versus 14%; odds ratio 2.3; P less than 0.01), for intravenous heroin users (43 versus 15% in drug users not using heroin), and for inmates with positive rapid plasma reagin test (RPR) results (34.5 versus 16.1% in RPR-negative inmates). Use of intravenous heroin was most strongly related, by logistic regression, to HIV-1 seropositivity. The results are among the highest found in US inmates, and suggest that there were 12,500 seropositive individuals incarcerated in 1989. This represents approximately 10% of the estimated number of seropositive individuals in NYC. The NYC Correctional System should be viewed as a front-line institution in the fight against AIDS through provision of HIV-related prevention services and clinical care, and drug treatment.
Weisfuse
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IB
Division of AIDS Program Services, New York City Department of Health, New York 10013.
Greenberg
B L
BL
Back
S D
SD
Makki
H A
HA
Thomas
P
P
Rooney
W C
WC
Rautenberg
E L
EL
D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1; D003932:Heroin; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications; D013587:Syphilis / Q000150:complications; D014209:Treponema Immobilization Test
D003932:Heroin