A missed opportunity: hepatitis C screening of prisoners.
In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations to screen all inmates with a history of injection drug use or other risk factors for hepatitis C. We compared self-reported risk factors for hepatitis C with serostatus from inmates in the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Of the male inmates who were hepatitis C positive, 66% did not report injection drug use. Risk-based testing underestimates the hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in correctional settings and limits the opportunity to diagnose and prevent hepatitis C infection.
Macalino
Grace E
GE
Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts New England Medical Center, 750 Washington St, Box 63, Boston, MA 02111, USA. gmacalino@tufts-nemc.org
Dhawan
Darpun
D
Rich
Josiah D
JD
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D015982:Bias; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018580:Mandatory Testing; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012237:Rhode Island / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*