       Document 0712
 DOCN  M9630712
 TI    Voluntary anonymous linked study of the prevalence of HIV infection and
       hepatitis C among inmates in a Canadian federal penitentiary for women.
 DT    9603
 AU    Ford PM; White C; Kaufmann H; MacTavish J; Pearson M; Ford S;
       Sankar-Mistry P; Connop P; Department of Medicine, Queen's University,
       Kingston, ON.
 SO    Can Med Assoc J. 1995 Dec 1;153(11):1605-9. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96088804
 AB    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.
 DE    Adolescence  Adult  Canada/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Comorbidity  Female  Hepatitis
       C/BLOOD/COMPLICATIONS/*EPIDEMIOLOGY  Human  *HIV Seroprevalence  Middle
       Age  Prevalence  *Prisoners  Residence Characteristics
       Seroepidemiologic Methods  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Women's Health
       JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

