Burden of HIV, Tuberculosis Infection and Risk Factors amongst Inmates of Correctional Institutions in Port Harcourt Nigeria

Aims: Burden of infectious diseases in correctional institutions constitutes a public health concern due to the confined nature and congestion of the prisons. This study aimed at surveying Burden of HIV, Tuberculosis Infection and Risk factors amongst inmates of Correctional Institutions in Port Harcourt Nigeria

Study Design: The study was descriptive, comprising both males and females. A total of 178 inmates constituted the study population

Place and Duration of Study: Port Harcourt Maximum Prisons, Creek Road and the Juvenile Remand Home, Borokiri, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, between the months of May to December 2019.

Methodology: Two millilitres of blood was collected from each participant after receiving their informed consent. The blood was dispensed into EDTA anti-coagulant bottles and used for serological investigations of HIV 1&2, and TB. Samples positive for TB was confirmed using the GeneXpert Molecular technique while HIV 1&2 were confirmed using Real-Time PCR and their Viral Loads determined.

Results: The overall prevalence of HIV and MTB in the study population were: HIV 1 & 2 (3.9%) and Tuberculosis (0.6%) The Mean Viral Loads of positive samples were HIV 1&2 (479.3 copies/ml); and High MTB was detected. The most significant risk factors identified are as follows:, inmates with tattoos on their bodies (c2=83.6, p<0.0001), took part in blood initiation ceremonies (c2=110.1, p<0.0001), have exchanged needles/sharp objects (c2=2.2, p>0.0001), have tribal marks (c2=58.4, p<0.0001), received blood (c2=151.1, p<0.0001). Majority of the inmates have had sex before, 159(89.3%) [89(56.0%) had multiple sex partners up to 3 and above, 32(20.1%) had 2 partners while 38(23.9%) said they were single sex partners (c2=37.1, p<0.0001)]. On condom use, 90(50.6%) of the inmates do not use condom while 88(49.4%) admitted they use condoms. 7(3.9%) of the inmates have indulged in anal sex (c2=151.1, p<0.0001). 6(3.4%) had history of family drug use while 23(12.9%) have used drugs prior to imprisonment

Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV among inmates in this study is quite high and remains a public health problem while that of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) though appearing relatively low still remains a public health risk. The risk factors amongst inmates of Correctional Institutions in Port Harcourt Nigeria have been identified in this study. The high HIV 1 & 2 prevalence with MTB prevalence with high viral load results indicates poor health conditions which if not contained can spread to other inmates. This requires prompt interventions and treatment among the correctional inmates.