BMJ 1995;310:1264-1265 (13 May)

Letters

Genitourinary medicine services are important

EDITOR,--Two articles report the alarming spread of HIV in a Scottish prison.1 2 While intravenous drug use in prisons is clearly a major risk factor in the spread of HIV among inmates, we believe that the role of sexual intercourse also needs to be more thoroughly examined.

Sexual intercourse occurs between incarcerated men,2 3 yet condoms are not freely available in Scottish prisons. Inmates often express concern regarding confidentiality, and this is particularly so with regard to sexual intercourse between men, which is subject to strong institutional disapproval. Thus the 1% of prisoners at Glenochil who admitted to anal intercourse while in prison2 may represent a considerable underestimate. Furthermore, no attempt seems to have been made to estimate the incidence of other sexual practices that may be associated with the transmission of HIV.

It is well recognised that people in prison often have lifestyles that put them at risk of acquiring sexually . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Outbreak of HIV infection in a Scottish prison
Avril Taylor, David Goldberg, John Emslie, John Wrench, Laurence Gruer, Sheila Cameron, James Black, Barbara Davis, James McGregor, Edward Follett, Janina Harvey, John Basson, and James McGavigan
BMJ 1995 310: 289-292. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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