Syphilis in New South Wales (Australia) prisons

This paper describes the prevalence of, and risk factors fur, exposure to s yphilis in a random sample of male and female prisoners. We found that only 2% of male and 1% of female prison inmates in New South Wales (NSW) had co nfirmed evidence of untreated syphilis, and none appeared to be in an infec tious phase. In the multivariate analysis, indigenous ethnicity remained th e most potent predictor for confirmed syphilis (either past or present). Th ere was some evidence to suggest that syphilis among indigenous prisoners m ay be associated with limited access to health services outside prison. The epidemiology of syphilis reflects that of the general community suggesting that prisons could be used as sentinel sites to help evaluate the effectiv eness of STD prevention and control strategies.