Abstract
BackgroundThe 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionThere 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.
Highlights
IntroductionThe demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may be somewhat different from other jurisdictions
The demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may be somewhat different from other jurisdictions. 84% prisoners in the Northern Territory identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, compared to a national average of 28% of the adult prisoner population [11]
We identified the results of serology for hepatitis B and hepatitis C of those who were incarcerated in correctional facilities of the Northern Territory of Australia between 2003 and 2017
Summary
The demographic of Northern Territory prison population differs than elsewhere in Australia and the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C may be somewhat different from other jurisdictions. There has been no study which has described the serological results of a large proportion of prisoners in Northern Territory correctional facilities over an extended period of time. Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, There has been no study which has described the serological results of a large proportion of prisoners in Northern Territory correctional facilities. While the 2016 national prison entrants’ bloodborne virus survey for the Northern Territory showed hepatitis C serology was negative in all 39 participants, and hepatitis B. The 2016 national prison entrants’ bloodborne virus survey found nationwide in a sample of 431 participants that the proportion of positive Hepatitis C serology was 22% while the proportion of positive anti-HBc, which denotes either current infection (HBsAg and anti-HBc positive) or past infection (HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive) was 16% [2]. A reported history of intravenous drug use in prisoners is lower in the Northern Territory compared with the rest of Australia, while the Northern Territory has the highest imprisonment and recidivism rate of all states and territories [2, 10, 11]
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