title: HIV/AIDS prevalence in Israeli prisons: Is there a need for universal screening?
abstract: This study aimed to assess HIV/AIDS point-prevalence among inmates and evaluate costs related to universal screening as currently practiced and appraise its necessity. All inmates newly incarcerated in Israel (2003-2010) underwent HIV tests and their medical files were cross-matched the with the national HIV/AIDS registry to who had been newly infected and detected on prison entry. They were classified by key risk-groups. Of 108,866 new inmates during the period, 215 (0.2 per cent) were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, 44 of those (0.04 per cent) were not aware of their infection. A large majority (94.2 per cent) of the infected inmates were members of a key-risk group: drug-users, homosexuals, or originating from a high-HIV prevalence country. The direct cost of detecting a single HIV-infected inmate who was not previously recorded was [euro ]12,386. The HIV/AIDS-screening process can be improved by interviewing the new inmates and performing targeted HIV-testing for those who are members of a known risk-group. These data from Israel are pertinent to developed countries with low HIV prevalence, because they present a picture of all newly infected inmates over an 8-year period within the paradigm of a fully functional HIV surveillance system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuberculosis and AIDS, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel.|Ramla Department of Health, Ministry of Health, 3 Danny Mass St, Ramla 72100, Israel.
authors.forename: Zohar
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mor
authors.affiliation: Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.affiliation: Public Health Services, Jerusalem, Israel.|Ben Gurion University in the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Itamar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grotto
authors.affiliation: Medical Corps, Israeli Prison Services, Ramla, Israel.
authors.forename: Dini
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tishler-Aurkin
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*