OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of infection with, and risks for, hepatitis A, B and C viruses (HAV, HBV, and HCV) in male adolescents detained in the Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre (MJJC). METHODS: A cross-sectional serosurvey for HAV, HBV, and HCV among 90 male adolescents aged 15-18 years who were resident in MJJC for more than 1 week in 1996. RESULTS: Nine percent had been exposed to HAV, 8% were positive or equivocal for exposure to HBV, and 21% were antibody positive for HCV. All those with hepatitis markers except one positive for HAV had been injection heroin users for more than 1 year. Of those who were not HBcAb positive, only 28% were immune to HBV. For most respondents, sexual and drug-using risks began in the early teens and were associated with leaving school prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents were vulnerable to exposure to blood-borne viruses from an early age, posing a challenge for health education programs. An opportunity exists for harm minimization and prevention of spread of blood-borne viruses within the first year of injection drug use in this population.
OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of infection with, and risks for, hepatitis A, B and C viruses (HAV, HBV, and HCV) in male adolescents detained in the Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre (MJJC). METHODS: A cross-sectional serosurvey for HAV, HBV, and HCV among 90 male adolescents aged 15-18 years who were resident in MJJC for more than 1 week in 1996. RESULTS: Nine percent had been exposed to HAV, 8% were positive or equivocal for exposure to HBV, and 21% were antibody positive for HCV. All those with hepatitis markers except one positive for HAV had been injection heroin users for more than 1 year. Of those who were not HBcAb positive, only 28% were immune to HBV. For most respondents, sexual and drug-using risks began in the early teens and were associated with leaving school prematurely. CONCLUSIONS: Respondents were vulnerable to exposure to blood-borne viruses from an early age, posing a challenge for health education programs. An opportunity exists for harm minimization and prevention of spread of blood-borne viruses within the first year of injection drug use in this population.
Authors: Jennifer A Gates; Jeffrey J Post; John M Kaldor; Yong Pan; Paul S Haber; Andrew R Lloyd; Kate A Dolan Journal: J Urban Health Date: 2004-09 Impact factor: 3.671
Authors: Sarah Larney; Hannah Kopinski; Curt G Beckwith; Nickolas D Zaller; Don Des Jarlais; Holly Hagan; Josiah D Rich; Brenda J van den Bergh; Louisa Degenhardt Journal: Hepatology Date: 2013-08-06 Impact factor: 17.425
Authors: Rohan Borschmann; Emilia Janca; Annie Carter; Melissa Willoughby; Nathan Hughes; Kathryn Snow; Emily Stockings; Nicole T M Hill; Jane Hocking; Alexander Love; George C Patton; Susan M Sawyer; Seena Fazel; Cheneal Puljević; Jo Robinson; Stuart A Kinner Journal: Lancet Public Health Date: 2020-01-16