High prevalence of hepatitis C virus among criminals in rehabilitation facilities in Japan.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: There is a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers in prison in several developed countries, but the situation in Japan has not been well reported. This study aimed to determine the state of HCV infection among criminals in Japan. METHODS: We enrolled 533 criminals in rehabilitation facilities (354 men and 179 women) who underwent a medical check-up from April 2014 to March 2022. Their records of blood tests, medical history, and drug injection use were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The HCV-antibody positive rate was 11.1 % (59/533), with rates of 8.2 % (29/354) in men and 16.8 % (30/179 in women. Approximately half of the HCV-infected residents had a history of drug injection, and this rate did not vary by age or by sex. Although an opportunity to treat HCV infection with medical assistance from government was provided to all residents who were positive for HCV RNA, 26.5 % of them abandoned the treatment. CONCLUSION: In spite of the generous economical support to treat HCV infection by the government and the free access system in Japan, eliminating HCV in criminals appears to be difficult. The reason for this problem might be the criminals' negligent attitude to life.