A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prevalence data on viral hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV infection in prison are often scarce or outdated. There is currently no systematic screening for these blood-borne viral infections (BBV) in Belgian prisons. There is an urgency to assess the prevalence of these BBV to inform policymakers and public healthcare.

Methods

This was a multicentre, interventional study to assess the prevalence of BBV using opt-in screening in prisons across Belgium, April 2019 - March 2020. Prisoners were tested using a finger prick and BBV risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. A generalized linear mixed model was used to investigate the association between the various risk factors and HCV.

Results

In total, 886 prisoners from 11 Belgian prisons we

SUBMITTER: Busschots D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8314587 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature