Open AccessA Missed Opportunity: Hepatitis C Screening of Prisoners
Author(s) -
Grace Macalino,
Darpun Dhawan,
Josiah D. Rich
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2004.056291
Subject(s) - serostatus , medicine , hepatitis c , injection drug use , hepatitis , hepatitis c virus , disease control , viral hepatitis , substance abuse , liver disease , family medicine , drug , virology , psychiatry , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , drug injection , virus , viral load
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.