Hepatitis A immunity and region-of-origin in a Swiss prison.

Hepatitis A immunity and region-of-origin in a Swiss prison. Int J Prison Health. 2016 Jun 13;12(2):98-105 Authors: Getaz L, Casillas A, Motamed S, Gaspoz JM, Chappuis F, Wolff H Abstract Purpose - The environmental and demographic characteristics of closed institutions, particularly prisons, precipitate morbidity during hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. Given the high prevalence of chronic liver disease and other risk factors in the prison setting, the purpose of this paper is to examine HAV-immunity and its associated factors in this population. Design/methodology/approach - The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009: a serology screening for HAV IgG was carried out among 116 inmates in Switzerland's largest pre-trial prison. Other participant characteristics were collected through a structured face-to-face questionnaire with a physician. Findings - In terms of significant demographics, Africa (53.5 percent) and the Balkans/Eastern Europe (36.2 percent) were the main regions of origin; a minority of inmates were from Western Europe (6.9 percent), Latin America (2.6 percent) or Asia (0.9 percent). The authors identified hepatitis A antibody-negative serology (lack of immunity) in five out of 116 prisoners (4.3 percent, 95 percent CI 1.4-9.7). Among participants of European origin alone, five out of 50 inmates were hepatitis A antibody-negative (10 percent, 95 percent CI 3.3-21.8), whereas the 66 inmates from other all continen...
Source: International Journal of Prisoner Health - Category: Criminology Authors: Tags: Int J Prison Health Source Type: research