E. Massad et al., Seroprevalence of HIV, HCV and syphilis in Brazilian prisoners: Preponderance of parenteral transmission, EUR J EPID, 15(5), 1999, pp. 439-445
Citations number
46
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Between November 1993 and April 1994, our physicians' team interviewed and
took blood samples of 631 prisoners randomly drawn from the largest prison
of South America, which counted about 4700 inmates at that time. The interv
iew consisted of questions related to risk behaviour for HIV infection, and
the subjects were asked to provide blood for serological tests for HIV, he
patitis C and syphilis. Our main purpose was to investigate the relationshi
p between HCV and injecting drug use as related to HIV seropositivity. Part
icipation in the study was voluntary and confidentiality was guaranteed. Ov
erall prevalences found were as follows: HIV: 16% (95% confidence interval
(CI): 13-19%); HCV: 34% (95% CI: 30-38%), and syphilis: 18% (95% CI: 15-21%
). Acknowledged use of ever injecting drug was 22% and no other parenteral
risk was reported. Our results, as compared with other studies in the same
prison, suggest that HIV prevalence has been stable in recent years, and th
at the major risk factor for HIV infection in this population is parenteral
exposure by injecting drug use.