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Jail-based screen-and-treat program may reduce community chlamydia rates
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A mathematical model suggests that a jail-based chlamydia screening and treatment program would decrease chlamydia prevalence in large and small communities.
“The prevalence of chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases is higher among persons in correctional institutions than in the general population,” researchers from the CDC wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “Given the unique opportunities correctional facilities present to reach underserved and high-risk populations, some authors have suggested that correctional health be given public health priority and be made an integral part of community health efforts to control and prevent the spread of STDs and other infectious diseases.”
The researchers developed a model to determine the effect that jail-based chlamydia screening would have on a community’s prevalence of chlamydia. The model focused on heterosexual transmission. There were two separate analyses: one of a large community with incarceration rates similar to the national average; and one of a smaller community with higher incarceration rates that are similar to those of certain subpopulations, such as African Americans.
In the large-community analysis, the community prevalence of chlamydia decreased by 13% within 3 years of the program’s implementation. For men, the decline was 15.8%, and for women, the decline was 11.5%. Among those in jail, the prevalence declined by 63.6%.
In the small-community analysis, the community prevalence declined by 54%. Among men, the decline was 57.5%, and among women, the decline was 51%. Among those in jail, there was a 78.9% decline in prevalence.
“Jail-based screen-and-treat programs provide a key opportunity to provide preventive care and treatment to underserved populations (especially men) who have limited or no access to health care,” the researchers wrote. “Additional epidemiologic and modeling studies are needed to determine the optimal use of jail-based screen-and-treat programs as part of an overall STD prevention strategy.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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