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Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
editorial
. 2015 Sep 1;106(6):e454–e456. doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.5132

Persons in correctional facilities in Canada: A key population for hepatitis C prevention and control

Fiona G Kouyoumdjian 1,✉, Kathryn E McIsaac 1
PMCID: PMC6972191  PMID: 26680439

Abstract

About one in nine Canadians who are infected with hepatitis C spend time in a correctional facility each year. With high rates of current injection drug use and needle sharing, this population may account for a large proportion of new infections. Any national strategy to address hepatitis C should include a focus on persons in correctional facilities, and should build on existing evidence regarding primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.

Key Words: Hepatitis C, incarcerated, prison, Canada

Mots Clés: hépatite C, prisonnier, prison, Canada

Footnotes

Acknowledgements: F. Kouyoumdjian receives salary support from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship. K. McIsaac is a CIHR Strategic Training fellow in the ACHIEVE Research Partnership: Action for Health Equity Interventions.

Conflict of Interest: None.

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