New hepatitis C virus infection, re-infection and associated risk behaviour in male Irish prisoners : a cohort study, 2019

BACKGROUND: Prisoners are recognised as a high-risk population and prisons as high-risk locations for the transmission of hepatitis c virus (HCV) infection. Injecting drug use (IDU) is the main driver of HCV infection in prisoners and harm reduction services are often suboptimal in prison settings. HCV prevalence and incident data in prisoners is incomplete which impacts the public health opportunity that incarceration provides in identifying, treating and preventing HCV infection. The aim of this study is to identify new HCV infection and associated risk factors in an Irish male prison.

METHODS: We conducted a follow up (18-month) cohort study on prisoners who had previously tested negative, self-cleared or had been successfully treated for HCV infection. We conducted the study in a male medium security prison located in Dublin Ireland (Mountjoy Prison) using HCV serology, a review of medical records and a researcher-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS: 99 prisoners with a mean age of 33.2 yrs. participated in the study and 82(82.8%) completed a research-administered questionnaire. Over half (51%) had a history of drug use from a young age (14.8 yrs.), 49.9% a history of heroin use and 39% a history of IDU. The prevalence of HIV and hepatitis B virus core antibody was 3% and HCV antibody was 22.2%. No new HCV infections were identified in those who had never been infected (n = 77), had self-cleared (n = 9) or achieved sustained virological response (n = 12). Small numbers of prisoners continued to engage in risk-behaviour including, IDU both in the prison (n = 2) and the community (n = 3), sharing syringes (n = 1) and drug taking paraphernalia (n = 6) and receiving non-sterile tattoos (n = 3).

CONCLUSION: Despite the high numbers of Irish prisoners with a history of IDU and HCV infection, new HCV infection is low or non-existent in this population. Small numbers of prisoners continue to engage in risk behaviour and larger studies are required to further understand HCV transmission in this cohort in an Irish and international context.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:79

Enthalten in:

Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique - 79(2021), 1 vom: 08. Juni, Seite 97

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Crowley, Des [VerfasserIn]
Avramovic, Gordana [VerfasserIn]
Cullen, Walter [VerfasserIn]
Farrell, Collette [VerfasserIn]
Halpin, Anne [VerfasserIn]
Keevans, Mary [VerfasserIn]
Laird, Eamon [VerfasserIn]
McHugh, Tina [VerfasserIn]
McKiernan, Susan [VerfasserIn]
Miggin, Sarah Jayne [VerfasserIn]
Murtagh, Ross [VerfasserIn]
Connor, Eileen O [VerfasserIn]
O'Meara, Marie [VerfasserIn]
Reilly, Deirdre O [VerfasserIn]
Lambert, John S [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

HCV
Harm reduction
Hepatitis C
Incident
Journal Article
MAT
Medication assisted treatment
Prison
Prisoner

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 12.06.2021

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s13690-021-00623-2

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM32651189X