UN Urges Steps to Limit HIV, TB in Europe's Jails

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

UN Urges Steps to Limit HIV, TB in Europe's Jails

Reuters (12/16/97)
Barker, Anthony

Abstract: World Health Organization officials are alarmed at the rapid spread of tuberculosis and HIV in jails around Europe, much of which has been attributed to overcrowding. Among the possible solutions to halting the rapid spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are providing condoms, sex education classes, clean needles, and sterilizing fluids. To prevent TB, officials have proposed launching a program of full treatment--based on the directly observed treatment short -course strategy--to eliminate even resistant strains. HIV is spreading fastest in Western European jails--in France, the rate of infection among prisoners is 10 times that of the outside population--while TB is particularly rife in Eastern European facilities. One of the biggest problems facing WHO is that some countries, like Russia and Ukraine, do not provide clean needles or syringes to the outside population, and are unlikely to do so for prisoners.

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