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

Publications

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

INTRODUCTION

Correctional facilities in Canada are becoming an increasingly important focus in the campaign to control infectious diseases. Prison inmates experience higher rates of infectious diseases than the general population, often as a result of their history of high-risk behaviours. While many inmates enter the correctional system already infected, others who are uninfected continue to engage in risky behaviours while in prison, placing them at risk of infection. As such, the correctional setting presents an important public health opportunity for identifying infected persons and providing them with appropriate care and counselling to prevent future transmission of infection.

Health surveillance is an integral part of disease prevention and control. In January 2000, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) introduced an expanded surveillance system in response to the growing need for more accurate and extensive information on infectious diseases within federal correctional settings. The CSC Infectious Diseases Surveillance System (CSC-IDSS) enables CSC to gather relevant health information about infectious diseases in the federal inmate population. Health surveillance allows CSC to monitor trends in infection rates and thereby target particular high-risk groups for interventions.

Information collected by the CSC-IDSS is used to make informed decisions concerning allocation of health-care resources within CSC. Surveillance data will also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs, which can guide the improvement of existing programs and promote the creation of new initiatives. The Surveillance System for Infectious Diseases is the result of continued collaborative efforts between CSC and Health Canada. Health Canada provided the technical support for the analysis and writing of the report. They also are responsible for quality control of the data and evaluation of the CSC-IDSS.

This report summarizes the analysis of data collected during two years of surveillance, covering the period from January 2000 through December 2001. The data are inclusive of information on HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and STDs. Specifically, Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control in Canadian Federal Penitentiaries 2000-01 examines the epidemiology of infections, testing patterns and treatment uptake among inmates. This report complements Tuberculosis Prevention and Control in Canadian Federal Prisons 1998, which is part of an ongoing series of CSC reports on TB surveillance among federal inmates and staff.

It should be noted that surveillance data are not intended to replace targeted research nor do they afford a complete picture of infection rates in federal penitentiaries. Data presented here provide, as accurately as possible, a snapshot of reported rates of infectious diseases - and their implications - in CSC institutions.