Compared with the general public, people in prison in the EU/EEA have a higher burden of communicable diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and tuberculosis (TB). Increased disease prevalence in this population is recognised as a significant public health concern, both for people living and working in prisons and for the general population at large because the vast majority of people held in prisons eventually return to their communities. Yet, incarceration may represent a unique opportunity to make adequate healthcare services available to people and target groups that are usually hard to reach when in the community. Active case finding is one of the key measures for the prevention and control of communicable diseases that should be considered for broader implementation in prison settings. It supports early diagnosis, ensures that infected people can receive early treatment and care, and thus contributes to prevent onward disease transmission. The successful implementation of evidence-based interventions in prison settings requires an in-depth knowledge of structural hurdles, individual barriers, and the characteristics and behaviours of the prison population.
Full text on source: https://ecdc.europa.eu
