Les infections transmissibles sexuellement et par le sang : prévalence et facteurs associés dans une prison préventive de Genève, Suisse

Les personnes vivant en détention souffrent plus souvent d’infections transmissibles sexuellement et par le sang (ITSS) que la population générale. L’objectif de cette thèse, basée sur une étude effectuée au sein de la population masculine de la prison préventive de Champ-Dollon, est l’exploration de la prévalence et les facteurs associés aux ITSS. Nos données confirment que les prévalences des ITSS sont plus élevées dans la population carcérale en comparaison de la population générale suisse: syphilis (7x), HSV2 (2x), VIH (2x) et VHC (9x). Tenir compte des facteurs associés aux ITSS en détention permet de renforcer les programmes de dépistage et de contrôle, afin de protéger la population carcérale et la société dans son ensemble

Body pack in sick bodies: a retrospective study of somatic and psychiatric comorbidities among body-packers

Purpose Body-packing means concealing packets of illicit psychoactive substances in the digestive or genital system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate profiles of body-packers and comorbidities associated with body-packing. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective study (2005–2016) was conducted among all patients hospitalized for suspicion of body-packing in the Geneva hospital prison unit (n=287). Data were extracted from medical records and included demographics, somatic/psychiatric diseases, suicidal ideation and psychological distress. Findings Body-packers were mostly young men (mean age=33.4). A total of 42.2 percent of the participants had at least one psychiatric or somatic comorbidity reported during incarceration (somatic: 28.2 percent, psychiatric: 18.8 percent). The most frequent somatic diseases were infectious (10.5 percent), cardiovascular (10.1 percent), and endocrinological (4.2 percent) diseases, and more precisely HIV (4.5 percent), hepatitis B (3.5 percent), hepatitis C (1.4 percent), high blood pressure (8.0 percent) and diabetes (4.2 percent). The most frequent psychiatric conditions were substance use disorders (10.5 percent) and mood disorders (8.0 percent). Depressed mood/psychological distress and suicidal ideation were frequently reported during hospitalization (27.2/6.6 percent). Comorbidities were associated with demographics: Females were more likely to have somatic and psychiatric diseases detected during hospitalization in detention and participants from Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic countries were more likely to report diseases known before detention. Originality/value Body-packers bear a heavy burden of disease and psychological distress. This vulnerable subgroup of incarcerated people has been overlooked in previous research and their health needs are not correctly understood. This study was a first step to improve their health care and reintegration

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study after the first wave among persons living and working in an overcrowded Swiss prison.

PURPOSE Prisons can be epicentres of infectious diseases. However, empirical evidence on the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in prison is still scarce. This study aims to estimate the seroprevalence rates of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the largest and most crowded Swiss prison and compare them with the seroprevalence rate in the general population. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2020, one month after the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 in Switzerland. Groups included: people living in detention (PLDs) detained before the beginning of the pandemic (n = 116), PLDs incarcerated after the beginning of the pandemic (n = 61), prison staff and prison healthcare workers (n = 227) and a sample from the general population in the same time period (n = 3,404). The authors assessed anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. FINDINGS PLDs who were incarcerated before the beginning of the pandemic had a significantly lower seroprevalence rate [0.9%, confidence interval (CI)95%: 0.1%-5.9%] compared to the general population (6.3%, CI 95%: 5.6-7.3%) (p = 0.041). The differences between PLDs who were incarcerated before and other groups were marginally significant (PLDs incarcerated after the beginning of the pandemic: 6.6%, CI 95%: 2.5%-16.6%, p = 0.063; prison staff CI 95%: 4.8%, 2.7%-8.6%, p = 0.093). The seroprevalence of prison staff was only slightly and non-significantly lower than that of the general population. ORIGINALITY/VALUE During the first wave, despite overcrowding and interaction with the community, the prison was not a hotspot of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preventive measures probably helped avoiding clusters of infection. The authors suggest that preventive measures that impact social welfare could be relaxed when overall circulation in the community is low to prevent the negative impact of isolation