Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017
Abstract Background The demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may therefore be somewhat different from other jurisdictions. There has been no study which has specifically described the serological res...
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doaj-15eba18c4ee147d1855b1a0d115c2bc12021-06-20T11:08:05ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342021-06-012111910.1186/s12879-021-06286-2Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017Richard P. Sullivan0Rob Baird1Kevin Freeman2Hugh Heggie3Joshua S. Davis4Catherine S. Marshall5Jane Davies6Charles Darwin University, Menzies School of Health ResearchDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Royal Darwin HospitalTerritory Pathology, Royal Darwin HospitalNorthern Territory Department of Health, Northern TerritoryCharles Darwin University, Menzies School of Health ResearchDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Royal Darwin HospitalCharles Darwin University, Menzies School of Health ResearchAbstract Background The demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may therefore be somewhat different from other jurisdictions. There has been no study which has specifically described the serological results of a large proportion of prisoners in Northern Territory correctional facilities over an extended period of time. Methods This retrospective longitudinal study reviewed serological results and testing rates for hepatitis B, and hepatitis C performed in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia between July 1st, 2003 and June 30th, 2017. Results The proportion of positive records over 14 years for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 641/12,066 (5.3, 95% CI 4.9–5.7), for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) 4937/12,138 (40.1, 95%CI 39.8–41.6), for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) 6966/13,303 (52.4, 95% CI 51.5–53.2), and for hepatitis C antibody 569/12,153 (4.7, 95% CI 4.3–5.1). The proportion of prisoners tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C has decreased since 2015, while a high proportion of prisoners remain non-immune to hepatitis B. Conclusion There is a relatively high proportion of positive serological markers of hepatitis B, and a lower proportion of positive hepatitis C serology in the Northern Territory’s correctional facilities compared to overall Australian rates. As the proportion of prisoners tested for hepatitis B and C has decreased recently, and a high proportion of prisoners remain non-immune to hepatitis B, there are opportunities to increase testing and vaccination rates in this population.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06286-2Hepatitis BHepatitis CPrisoner healthNorthern Territory |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Richard P. Sullivan Rob Baird Kevin Freeman Hugh Heggie Joshua S. Davis Catherine S. Marshall Jane Davies |
spellingShingle |
Richard P. Sullivan Rob Baird Kevin Freeman Hugh Heggie Joshua S. Davis Catherine S. Marshall Jane Davies Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 BMC Infectious Diseases Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Prisoner health Northern Territory |
author_facet |
Richard P. Sullivan Rob Baird Kevin Freeman Hugh Heggie Joshua S. Davis Catherine S. Marshall Jane Davies |
author_sort |
Richard P. Sullivan |
title |
Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 |
title_short |
Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 |
title_full |
Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 |
title_fullStr |
Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017 |
title_sort |
viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the northern territory of australia 2003–2017 |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
BMC Infectious Diseases |
issn |
1471-2334 |
publishDate |
2021-06-01 |
description |
Abstract Background The demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may therefore be somewhat different from other jurisdictions. There has been no study which has specifically described the serological results of a large proportion of prisoners in Northern Territory correctional facilities over an extended period of time. Methods This retrospective longitudinal study reviewed serological results and testing rates for hepatitis B, and hepatitis C performed in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia between July 1st, 2003 and June 30th, 2017. Results The proportion of positive records over 14 years for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 641/12,066 (5.3, 95% CI 4.9–5.7), for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) 4937/12,138 (40.1, 95%CI 39.8–41.6), for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) 6966/13,303 (52.4, 95% CI 51.5–53.2), and for hepatitis C antibody 569/12,153 (4.7, 95% CI 4.3–5.1). The proportion of prisoners tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C has decreased since 2015, while a high proportion of prisoners remain non-immune to hepatitis B. Conclusion There is a relatively high proportion of positive serological markers of hepatitis B, and a lower proportion of positive hepatitis C serology in the Northern Territory’s correctional facilities compared to overall Australian rates. As the proportion of prisoners tested for hepatitis B and C has decreased recently, and a high proportion of prisoners remain non-immune to hepatitis B, there are opportunities to increase testing and vaccination rates in this population. |
topic |
Hepatitis B Hepatitis C Prisoner health Northern Territory |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06286-2 |
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