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CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal logoLink to CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal
. 1995 Dec 1;153(11):1605–1609.

Voluntary anonymous linked study of the prevalence of HIV infection and hepatitis C among inmates in a Canadian federal penitentiary for women.

P M Ford 1, C White 1, H Kaufmann 1, J MacTavish 1, M Pearson 1, S Ford 1, P Sankar-Mistry 1, P Connop 1
PMCID: PMC1488017  PMID: 7489553

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of HIV infection and hepatitis C among inmates of a federal penitentiary for women. DESIGN: Voluntary, anonymous, linked, point-prevalence study involving testing of blood samples for antibodies to HIV and hepatitis C virus. PARTICIPANTS: All inmates of the multilevel security federal Prison for Women, Kingston, Ont., who volunteered to participate in the study. Inmates at this long-stay facility are from across Canada. OUTCOME MEASURE: Seroprevalence rate among participants of antibodies to HIV and hepatitis C virus. RESULTS: Of the 130 inmates available for study 113 (86.9%) agreed to donate a blood sample. One woman (0.9%) was HIV positive; 45 (39.8%) were positive for hepatitis C antibody. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to obtain a high participation rate in a voluntary, anonymous, linked point-prevalence study in a long-stay penitentiary. The HIV seroprevalence rate of 0.9% is lower than that found in studies in provincial (short-stay) prisons. However, the high rate of antibodies to hepatitis C suggests a significant level of risk behaviour, most likely injection drug use, and suggests the potential for a rapid increase in the rate of HIV infection should the number of newly admitted HIV-positive inmates who use injection drugs rise.

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Selected References

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