Education and debate

Prison: shield from threat, or threat to survival?

Ashwell Medical Centre, Bradford BD8 9DB St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1A 7BE Bradford BD1 2TD Leeds LS1 2ED London EC4 9BL Liverpool Personal Service Society, Liverpool L1 6AN Bradford BD1 1ND.

The first reported HIV outbreak in a British prison, at Glenochil,¹ is an alarming but not at all unpredicted event.² Unfortunate, from the point of view of the national public health, is that prisoners do not stay in prison indefinitely - the uncontrolled spread of HIV infection between prisoners threatens the government's successful HIV control programme and presents a grave threat to the nation's health.

In this outbreak the coincident presentation of jaundice due to hepatitis B led to the recognition of HIV infection. We have no direct knowledge of conditions in Glenochil and make no comment on the prison medical service in that prison. However, as a result of our considerable experience of treating or representing hundreds of opiate dependent subjects as patients or clients we are concerned that conditions seem to be ideal for the rapid but unrecognised transmission . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mason, D., Birmingham, L., Grubin, D. (1997). Substance use in remand prisoners: a consecutive case study. BMJ 315: 18-21 [Abstract] [Full text]