Prison needle programmes prevent spread of HIV

New cases of HIV are eradicated in prisons that operate a needle programme, according to a new report.

A review conducted by world HIV/Aids consultant Dr Ralf Jurgen scrutinised services in jails all over the globe.

He found no new incidences of HIV in prisons that operated needle programmes.

"The availability of sterile injecting equipment has not resulted in an increased number of prisoners injecting drugs, an increase in overall drug use, or an increase in the amount of drugs in prisons," the review in the Lancet read.

Sterilisation was an issue as drug use was hurried to avoid detection by prison staff, the report noted.

There were also fewer deaths and less instances of injecting where opioid substitution therapy was offered.

Drug dependency among male prisoners was estimated at between ten and 48 per cent and between 30 and 60 per cent among female prisoners.

According to Aidsmap, HIV is underreported in prisons. A study of a sample group of prisons in the UK found a HIV prevalence of 0.32 per cent in men and 1.2 per cent in women.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of health in the developing world.