The 2 million persons incarcerated in US prisons and jails are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV, with prevalences of infection two to ten times higher than in the general population. Infections are largely due to sex-and drug-related risk behaviors practised outside the correctional setting, although transmission of these infections has also been documented inside jails and prisons. Public health strategies to prevent morbidity and

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... from these infections should include hepatitis B vaccination, HCV and HIV testing and counseling, medical management of infected persons, and substance abuse treatment in incarcerated populations. ß 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins AIDS 2005, 19 (suppl 3):S41-S46