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

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.