Abstract:

Background and Aim: Prison is one of the most important places for transmission of infectious diseases has particular importance and prison population is at high risk for infectious diseases like hepatitis B and C. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among male inmates in six prisons of different provinces of Iran in 2011.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2120 male prisoners from six prisons of Tehran (n=408), Kermanshah (n=400), Khorasan Razavi (n=400 cases), Kerman (n=312), Isfahan (n=300) and Fars (n=300) were examined. Blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) by ELISA.

Results: The average age of prisoners was 37±13 years with range 25–59 years. Totally, 73 (3.4%) prisoners were anti-HBc positive and 273 (12.9%) prisoners were anti-HCV positive. The lowest prevalence of hepatitis B and C was observed in Kerman (respectively 2.52% and 3.2%) and highest was in Isfahan (respectively 6.3% and 33.6%).

&zwjConclusion: According to the current study, prevalence of hepatitis B and C infectious among prisoners are considerable. Nevertheless, prisoners routinely are not evaluated and screened for these infections. It is recommended that the responsibility should apply some policy for reducing and preventing such transmission in prisons.