The Center for Disease mastery and...

The Center for Disease mastery and Prevention (CDC) has issued recommendations to obviate and control viral hepatitis infections in correctional settings. The recommendations appeared in the January 24 2003 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Recommendations and Reports, and are available online at wwwcdcgov/mmwr

characters who spend time in jails, prisons, and juvenile institutions have an increased risk of infectious disease, including high rates of infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) They also have high rates of certain risk behaviors, of that kind as the use of injectable physics which expose them to infections with HBV and HCV

The recommendations address incarcerated juveniles and adults, and shroud topics including identification, reporting, and investigation of cases of acute viral hepatitis; hepatitis A and hepatitis B immunization; testing to identify someones infected with chronic HBV and HCV infection, or immunity to infections; counseling to obstruct HCV infection and its consequences; medical evaluation of inmates with HBV and HCV infection; and health education. The recommendations also address the protection of correctional officers from hepatitis infection.

key-note recommendations include the following:

* All human frames under correctional jurisdiction are at higher risk of a hepatitis infection, and should therefore be vaccinated against HBV unles they have been previously vaccinated or have been previously infected with HBV and presumably are immune to reinfection.

* Medical evaluation in a correctional facility should include a behavior risk assessment and inmates with risk factors should be exampleed for HCV infection.

* Inmates who touchstone positive for HCV should be evaluated for chronic infection and the expanse of liver disease.

* Inmates with chronic HCV should be evaluated for antiviral treatment, which should be considered based onward criteria developed by each jurisdiction and incorporate common treatment guidelines.

* Substance abuse treatment is praiseed for persons with chronic HBV or HCV infection to limit disease transmission, HCV re-infection, and progression of chronic liver disease.

* Education regarding the prevention of viral hepatitis should be made part of health education programs for all correctional facility inmates.

Implementation of these recommendations may contract transmission of hepatitis among adults at risk in the two correctional facilities and the outside community. It is estimated that 12 to 15 percent of all Americans with chronic HBV and 39 percent of those with HCV infections were released from a correctional facility during the previous year. Additional information about hepatitis is available at the CDC's Web site, wwwcdc gov/hepatitis.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group