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Title: Estimates of Hepatitis C Seroprevalence and Viremia in State Prison Populations in the United States
Abstract Background

Prior studies demonstrate that eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States (US) heavily depends on treating incarcerated persons. Knowing the scope of the carceral HCV epidemic by state will help guide national elimination efforts.

 Methods

Between 2019 and 2023, all state prison systems received surveys requesting data on hepatitis C antibody and viremic prevalence. We supplemented survey information with publicly available HCV data to corroborate responses and fill in data gaps.

 Results

Weighting HCV prevalence by state prison population size, we estimate that 15.2% of the US prison population is HCV seropositive and 8.7% is viremic; 54.9% of seropositive persons have detectable RNA. Applying prevalence estimates to the total prison population at year-end 2021, 91 090 persons with HCV infection resided in a state prison.

 Conclusions

With updated and more complete HCV data from all 50 states, HCV prevalence in state prisons is nearly 9-fold higher than the US general population. The heterogeneity in HCV prevalence by state prison system may reflect variable exposure before arrest and/or differences in treatment availability during incarceration. Elimination of HCV in the country depends on addressing the carceral epidemic, and one of the first steps is understanding the size of the problem.

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Award ID(s):
1722906
PAR ID:
10470273
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Oxford University Press
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume:
228
Issue:
Supplement_3
ISSN:
0022-1899
Page Range / eLocation ID:
S160 to S167
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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