This document provides EU/EEA Member States with evidence-based scientific advice on available options, when planning and implementing prevention and control interventions for blood-borne viruses in prison settings.
People in prison experience a higher burden of communicable diseases such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV often linked to a history of injecting drug use.
This guidance is intended for policymakers responsible for the planning and delivery of healthcare services in the national or sub-national custodial system and all professionals responsible for the health and well-being of people in prison, including community-based service providers and those facilitating continuity of care in the community.
The objective of this report was to systematically review data on prevention and control of BBVs in prison settings, with a focus on the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA).
In 2016, 30 EU/EEA Member States reported 29 307 cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, corresponding to a crude rate of 5.5 cases per 100 000 population.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was asked by the European Commission to assess the risk involved in changing the testing requirements for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) with regard to the quality and safety of non-partner semen donations.
This joint guidance from ECDC and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction provides EU/EEA Member States with evidence-based scientific advice on active case finding options. These options can be applied to the planning and implementation of interventions that promote the early diagnosis of communicable diseases in prison settings.
In their joint public health Guidance published today, ECDC and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), present the evidence on active case finding as a key measure to diagnose communicable diseases early.
In order to explore whether the current capacity for EU/EEA-wide molecular characterisation for surveillance of HBV and HCV is sufficient to be feasible and what gaps need to be addressed, a survey of EU/EEA Member States was conducted to assess their laboratory capacity and needs in relation to the molecular characterisation of hepatitis B and C.