HIV rate 10 times higher in prisons

HIV infection rates among Irish prisoners are 10 times higher than the general population, a prison reform group said yesterday.

Marking World AIDS Day, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) called on the Government to take immediate action to halt the transmission of HIV in prisons.

IPRT executive director Rick Lines said: “Research has shown that the rate of HIV infection among prisoners is more than 10 times higher than that in the general population.

“The rate of hepatitis C infection is more than 100 times higher than in the general population.”

He said high-risk behaviours for the sexual and intravenous transmission of HIV and hepatitis C were widespread among prisoners.

“Rates of HIV and hepatitis C infection have reached epidemic levels among Irish prisoners, yet the Government’s response falls well short of best practice models established in other prison systems.”

A report published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) last January put Ireland at the top of the hepatitis C infection rate table in the EU.

It said more than 80% of intravenous drug users (IDUs) in prison here were infected with the potentially lethal liver disease.

HIV infection rates among IDUs was around 6% in Ireland, compared to 23% in Spain and 28% in Portugal.

However, Ireland’s rate was still higher than that of Britain, Denmark and Belgium.

Research carried out by Trinity College Centre for Health Sciences in 2001 found infection rates for HIV and hepatitis were much higher for female prisoners.

It found almost 10% of women had HIV, compared to under 2% of men.

A recent EMCCDA survey of prison policies in the EU found that:

Nine EU countries provided detoxification programmes to all their prisoners, while Ireland could only provide them for a majority.

Seven EU countries provided disinfectants to all drug users to clean their syringes, while Ireland was among six countries that did not provide any.

Ireland was one of only four countries that did not provide condoms to prisoners.

Mr Lines called on the Government to provide condoms, disinfectants and sterile syringes.

However, some of these measures, particularly provision of needles, are opposed by many interested parties, particularly prison officers, who fear the security and safety implications.

The Prison Service pointed out that at least four jails have drug-free units, while another four prisons are drug-free and that harm-minimisation programmes are in operation.