Infection diseases in the prisons: A public health warming. Priority action to protect general community

Abstract

The infectious diseases are the most prevalent illnesses in prisoners, and they have a relevant burden for the society. Several studies have shown that the screening and the treatment of the infectious diseases inside prisons may be effective in reducing their burden in the general community. The main aim of the study was to determine between 2019-2021 the incidence and the prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV, TB and syphilis in the people inside Padua prisons. The study has demonstrated that the screening of the infectious diseases in detainees was very high, raising in 2021 in the entrant people the 100%. The research also has shown that during 2021 the most prevalent incidence of infectious diseases was for TB (16.3%), followed by HCV (11.3%), HBV (7.9%) and HIV (1.6%). Interestingly, our data has indicated how during 2021 versus the previous years the prevalence of the infectious diseases increased for HBV (41.5%), HCV (18.8%), and TB (48.1%). These data indicate as different conditions such as the geographic origin of the prisoners people or several environmental factors such as the overcrowding may influence the prevalence of the infectious disease inside prisons. The study suggests how the prisons may represent a place where may be easier the treatment of the patients affected by infectious diseases and how universal and periodic screening campaigns and facilitated treatment programs as the point of care may increase the access to care and to control the spread of infectious also in the general community.