Introduction

Incarcerated populations globally face a disproportionately higher burden of HIV compared to the general populace, often linked with elevated rates of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C, syphilis, and tuberculosis. Understanding prevalent risk factors and behaviors within correctional facilities is key for implementing impactful HIV prevention strategies. By targeting these factors through tailored interventions, significant reductions in transmission rates can be achieved, underscoring the importance of focused efforts to diminish HIV spread in prison environments.

Objectives

• Provide foundational knowledge to strengthen HIV prevention initiatives in correctional facilities and closed settings
• Introduce the challenge of HIV prevalence in prisons worldwide, emphasizing elevated rates among incarcerated populations and UNODC's involvement in addressing these issues.
• Explore primary HIV transmission risk factors in prisons and effective intervention measures like condom distribution.

Proceedings

Gunasekaran Rengaswamy, Regional Adviser for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Southern Africa (ROSAF), commended participating countries and the SSLN for their collaborative efforts. His presentation focused on key aspects related to UNODC's role in addressing HIV/AIDS, factors within prison systems that affect HIV prevalence, drug use statistics relevant to prisons, and a global overview of the HIV situation in prisons.

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Ehab Selah, an advisor on HIV in prisons with the UNODC Vienna office, focused his presentation on developing programs to address HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and other infectious diseases within prisons. He discussed the common challenges faced in implementing these programmes, the importance of relevant health instruments, addressing gender-specific concerns, and the need for preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in prisons.

The session concluded with a Q&A segment and a key takeaway message was shared to wrap up the discussion.

Resources

Access the recording and presentation materials from this session for further insights and information.

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