Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control in Canadian Federal Penitentiaries 2000-01

Publications

Infectious Diseases
Prevention and Control
in Canadian Federal
Penitentiaries 2000-01

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Staff of the National Infectious Diseases Program, Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), express sincere thanks to the Regional Infectious Diseases Coordinators and Administrators of Health Services for their skillful coordination and management of regional surveillance data. Special thanks are also extended to the CSC nurses and Chiefs of Health Services within the correctional facilities across Canada for their efforts and commitment to surveillance data reporting. The staff are grateful to reviewers of this report at CSC and at Health Canada for their comments and helpful suggestions.

FOREWORD

Inmates in correctional facilities around the world bear a disproportionate burden of illness related to infectious diseases compared to the general population. The reason for this is that many inmates belong to vulnerable populations in which high-risk behaviours for infection are present. Some of the most serious and commonly reported infectious diseases in correctional settings include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis C. Rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and hepatitis B are also high among prison inmates compared to those for the general population.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is committed to addressing the issue of infectious diseases in the federal inmate population. In 1997, in collaboration with Health Canada's Division of Tuberculosis Prevention and Control and Occupational Health and Safety Agency, CSC developed an infrastructure for surveillance of TB in Canadian federal correctional facilities. More recently, CSC has made a concerted effort to capture more extensive information on other communicable diseases afflicting federal inmates. CSC acknowledges Health Canada's assistance in this endeavour and in the preparation of this report.

This report represents the first analysis of infectious diseases data obtained through health surveillance in Canadian federal correctional institutions. A better understanding of infectious diseases through health surveillance will allow CSC to address evolving trends in disease management, to implement harm reduction strategies and to promote healthy lifestyle practices in the federal inmate population. Effective control of infectious diseases in correctional facilities is essential to protect the health of inmates, staff and the community at large.

Dr. Françoise Bouchard, MD, MPH, FRCP(c)
Director General, Health Services
Correctional Service of Canada