Hep C blitz in Aussie prisons halves transmission, landmark study finds
The research backs ‘treatment-as-prevention’ for incarcerated drug users and other high-risk groups, the authors say
Ramping up testing and treatment for hepatitis C in prisons cuts new infections by 57% and reinfections by 41%, according to a landmark study.
The world-first study is the biggest evaluation of so-called 'treatment-as-prevention' for hepatitis C in any setting, as well as the first in prisons, say the authors, from the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.
Their study of 3700 prisoners (82% male) across four prisons in NSW — two maximum security and two medium security — found treatment of hepatitis C led to a significant overall reduction in