NCJ Number
202810
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 65 Issue: 6 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 78-79,85
Date Published
October 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines the problem of hepatitis C in correctional facilities.
Abstract
Hepatitis C is a virus spread primarily through intravenous drug use, and if an individual contracts this often asymptomatic disease, his or her odds of developing a chronic form of the disease are four out of five. This article discusses the importance of performing a blood test to ascertain whether an individual truly has hepatitis C, and explains that the importance of determining whether or not prison inmates have this disease is because hepatitis C is now largely treatable with new medications. It is important that a hepatitis C treatment protocol for inmates with this disease be developed and implemented, and that correctional administrators make clear to both public and governmental bodies that hepatitis C is not simply a correctional institution problem. Correctional administrators and medical directors need to partner with public health and other community-based organizations in order to educate the public concerning hepatitis C and the treatment of this disease.