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Every 5th Nabha jail inmate suffers from Hepatitis C
Health officials said that since the virus spreads through exposure to an infected person’s blood and the potential routes of transmission are use of shared syringes, transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products among others. This has raised concerns about drug use inside jails
Every fifth inmate at the Nabha district jail suffers from Hepatitis C, a blood-borne disease, a special screening by health department officials has revealed.
As many as 1,178 inmates are lodged in this jail out of which 212 have tested positive for the virus, which attacks the liver of the victim.
Health officials said that since the virus spreads through exposure to an infected person’s blood and the potential routes of transmission are use of shared syringes, transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products among others.
Officials said that the high positivity rate of Hepatitis C raises doubts of the prevalence of drug use within the jail as sharing of syringes is one of the most prominent causes of the virus spread.
A health department official further revealed that only a few inmates had a history of Hepatitis C before they were brought to the jail, thus making it clear they contracted the disease while they were imprisoned.
There is no vaccine for the disease, experts said.
Dr Divjot Singh, district nodal officer of the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme, said that jail inmates come under the high-risk group for this disease. The inmates have already been put on treatment after conducting some baseline tests. The treatment usually takes up to three to six months.
Dr Divjot informed that the recovery rate of the Hepatitis C treatment is around 85-90% if the patient followed the complete course.
“After any inmate tests positive for Hepatitis C, we conduct a viral load test for quantitative analysis. If left untreated, Hepatitis-C can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer resulting in the death of the positive patient,” said Dr Divjot.
Patiala central jail
As per the health department data, around 171 inmates, out of the 1,805 lodged in Patiala Central Jail were found to be infected with Hepatitis C.
Health officials said that jail officials had been informed and treatment of the inmates has started. “If any patient gets sick, they are shifted to the district hospital. Otherwise, medicines for the treatment of inmates are provided inside the jail free of cost,” said Dr Divjot.
