Prevalence of hepatitis C infection in a Texas prison

Health problems among the incarcerated population can affect the health of the entire community. There are more than 1.75 million Americans behind bars with a very high rate of recidivism across the nation. Currently, a most common infection among the correctional population is hepatitis C infection. The goal of our study was to estimate the prevalence of Hepatitis C infection and the important factors associated with this infection among the inmates. Our study indicates that 28.6% of the incoming offenders in Texas had Hepatitis C infection. Other factors such as sociodemographics, chronic diseases, co-infection with hepatitis B infection, and history of self-reported hepatitis/liver disease, drug/alcohol abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases influence the length of time before hepatitis C infection was diagnosed. Education and counseling by chronic infectious disease nurses on hepatitis C infections were routinely offered to HCV seropositive offenders to prevent and control further infection to others, when offenders return to communities.