Treating HCV in Prisons

In the Connecticut correctional system, success rates for HCV treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin were high, but fewer than 1 in 1000 presumably HCV-infected inmates were actually tested and treated.

More than one third of all persons in the U.S. with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are thought to pass through correctional facilities each year. Prisons could therefore represent an opportunity to reach otherwise difficult-to-treat populations. In the present study, researchers evaluated the HCV treatment program of the Connecticut Department of Correction, which is responsible at any given time for approximately 22,000 inmates in 20 correctional facilities.

Inmates receive care through the University of Connecticut Correctional Managed Health Care Program, with infectious disease consultation provided by the Yale University School of Medicine. A review board determines individuals’ eligibility for HCV treatment and monitors the …

Reviewing Author

Helmut Albrecht, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Leadership positions in professional societiesColumbia Medical Society; South Carolina Infectious Diseases Society

Helmut Albrecht, MD

Disclosures

Grant / Research supportHealth Resources and Services Administration; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Leadership positions in professional societiesColumbia Medical Society; South Carolina Infectious Diseases Society

Treating HCV in Prisons

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Reviewing Author