Premium
HIV transmission in a prison system in an Australian State
Author(s) -
Dolan Kate A,
Wodak Alex
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1999.tb123490.x
Subject(s) - prison , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , methadone , transmission (telecommunications) , medicine , psychiatry , drug injection , psychology , family medicine , criminology , electrical engineering , engineering
Objective To investigate possible HIV transmission among prison inmates. Setting A prison system in an Australian State. Participants 13 ex‐prisoners and their prison contacts. Methods Ex‐prisoners who claimed to have been infected with HIV in prison and their prison contacts were interviewed about HIV risk behaviour. Entries in prison and community medical records were used by a three‐member expert panel to establish the likelihood of primary HIV infection and its possible timing and location. Main outcome measures Determination of whether HIV infection probably occurred in prison. Results There was a very high probability that at least four of 13 ex‐prisoners investigated acquired HIV in prison from shared injection equipment. Another two ex‐prisoners most probably acquired HIV infection outside prison. The location of infection for the remaining seven could not be determined. Conclusions HIV transmission in prison has substantial public health implications as most drug‐using prisoners soon return to the community. HIV prevention strategies known to be effective in community settings, such as methadone maintenance treatment and syringe exchange schemes, should be considered for prisoners.