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Volume 29, Number 11—November 2023
Dispatch

Hepatitis C Virus Elimination Program among Prison Inmates, Israel

Lihi Eisen1Comments to Author , Zohar Mor1, Miriam Madar, Ron Rabinovitch, Yuval Dadon, Rivka Sheffer, Ehud Kaliner, and Liav Goldstein
Author affiliations: Ministry of Health, Tel-Aviv Department of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel (L. Eisen, R. Sheffer); Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel (Z. Mor); Central Department of Health, Ministry of Health, Ramla, Israel (Z. Mor, E. Kaliner); Israel Prison Service, Israel (M. Madar, R. Rabinovitch, L. Goldstein); Deputy Director Office, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel (Y. Dadon)

Main Article

Table 2

Comparison between participants with HCV-positive and HCV-negative serology in a hepatitis C virus elimination program among high-risk prison inmates, Israel*

Characteristics HCV-positive, n = 379 HCV-negative, n = 1,372 p value Multivariate analysis
OR (95% CI) p value
Sex
M 367 (96.8) 1,334 (97.2) 0.8
F 12 (3.2) 37 (2.7)
Transgender
0
1 (0.1)



Mean age, y (SD)
47.6 (9.3)
39.9 (12.4)
<0.01
1.06 (1.05–1.08)
<0.01
Marital status
Married 77 (20.3) 375 (27.33) <0.01 Referent <0.01
Nonmarried† 299 (78.9) 983 (71.65) 1.7 (1.2–2.4)
Data not available
3 (0.8)
14 (1.02)



Education level, did not complete high school
299 (78.9)
1,059 (77.2)
0.4


Previously incarcerated‡ 342 (90.2) 1,129 (82.2) <0.01
Mean number of imprisonments (SD)
11.6 (8.8)
7.3 ± 6.5
<0.01
1.07 (1.05–1.09)
<0.01
Smoker
324 (85.5)
1,118 (81.5)
0.07


Alcohol user
33 (8.7)
169 (12.3)
0.05


Risk criteria
Country of birth
Former Soviet Union and Romania 201 (53.0) 450 (32.8) <0.01 7.4 (5.4–10.3)
Israel 157 (41.4) 719 (52.4) Referent <0.01
West Bank and Gaza Strip 9 (2.4) 106 (7.7)
Other countries 9 (2.4) 71 (5.2)
Data not available
3 (0.8)
26 (1.9)



Drug use
No drug use 53 (14.0) 318 (23.2) <0.01 Referent <0.01
Non–IV drug use 176 (46.4) 877 (63.9) 5.4 (3.5–8.4)
IV drug use
150 (39.6)
177 (12.9)

12.8 (7.9–20.7)

HIV infection
11 (2.9)
7 (0.5)
<0.01
NA
NS
Hepatitis B virus infection 31 (8.1) 40 (2.9) <0.01 3.8 (2.0–7.3) <0.01

*Values indicate no. (%) unless otherwise indicated. IV, intravenous; NA, not applicable; NS, not significant. †Includes single, divorced, and widowed. ‡This variable was not included in the multivariate analysis because it is collinear with number of imprisonments.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: September 29, 2023
Page updated: October 23, 2023
Page reviewed: October 23, 2023
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