A missed opportunity: hepatitis C screening of prisoners.

Macalino, Grace E; Dhawan, Darpun; Rich, Josiah D · Am J Public Health · 2005

case_control · Level III

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Abstract

In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations to screen all inmates with a history of injection drug use or other risk factors for hepatitis C. We compared self-reported risk factors for hepatitis C with serostatus from inmates in the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. Of the male inmates who were hepatitis C positive, 66% did not report injection drug use. Risk-based testing underestimates the hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in correctional settings and limits the opportunity to diagnose and prevent hepatitis C infection.

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