Tattoos, incarceration and hepatitis B and C among street-recruited injection drug users in New Mexico, USA: update

Abstract

To the Editor:In a previous report [1], we described significant risks for hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) positivity associated with receipt of tattoos, particularly while incarcerated, among a street-recruited population of injection drug users (IDUs) in New Mexico, United States from 1995 to 1997. Another recent report in this Journal, based on a study conducted on prisoners in Australia, found tattooing in prison to be an independent risk for HCV [2]. Another report also described a strong association between tattoos and HCV, but found the strongest association to be with commercial tattooing venues [3]. That study found the risk associated with receipt of tattoos in prison elevated, but not statistically significant. That same report reviewed other articles and found a significant risk for HCV infection associated with tattoos in six out of eight studies that had data available. Further, a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) document summarized the literature on risks for hepatitis infections in correctional settings and developed extensive control guidelines [4].