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| Drs cite alarming rise in hep C, HIV in prisons |
| By Canadian Press |
| Published: 11/01/2004 |
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The alarming increase of HIV and hepatitis C in Canadian prisons must be combatted through government-led needle exchange programs, medical and legal groups said last Wednesday. John Rapin, president of the Ontario Medical Association, says the general population is put at risk when infected prisoners are released from jail. "The frequent movement of individuals between prisons and the community means that any transmission of the disease within prisons will increase the risk of disease transmission in the community," he said. The rate of HIV infection among prisoners is 10 times higher than that of the general population and 29 times higher in the case of hepatitis C, says the OMA, which represents the province's doctors. "Disease is not limited to inside prison walls as prisoners become members of our communities after their release," said Ted Boadway, executive director of health policy for the OMA. Doctors are calling on provincial, territorial and federal governments to set up pilot prison needle exchange programs within 18 months. In 1989, there were 14 known cases of HIV/AIDS in federal prisons, according the report. That number rose dramatically to 251 cases in 2002, says a report released Wednesday by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. "Prisoners come from the community and most return to it," executive director Ralf Jurgens said in a release. "Today, one out of 50 prisoners is known to be HIV-positive." Although needle exchange programs are widely recognized as "one of the most important factors in preventing HIV," the programs that do exist are operating without the benefit of government funding. "Canadian and international experts have been calling for prison needle exchange programs for over ten years," said Thomas Kerr of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. "No Canadian prison has thus far introduced and evaluated this pragmatic public health measure." Hepatitis C rates are even higher, according to the legal network. The report found that there's a 20 to 80 per cent infection rate in prisons compared to 0.8 per cent among the Canadian population. |
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