Which statement about hepatitis C infection in prison populations is accurate?

Which statement about hepatitis C infection in prison populations is accurate?

• A. It is never found in prison populations.
• B. It is transmitted only by food.
• C. It is transmitted by direct blood contact.
• D. About one third of infected individuals pass through jails and prisons each year.

Answer: (D)

Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus, so its spread comes from blood-to-blood contact, not through food or casual contact. In prison settings, there’s high turnover—with many inmates entering and leaving each year and a large overlap with risk factors like injection drug use. That combination means a substantial portion of all people who have hepatitis C will pass through jails and prisons every year, estimated at about one-third. This turnover makes correctional facilities a key point for identifying and treating infections in the broader community. The other statements are incorrect because hepatitis C can be found in prison populations, it is not transmitted only by food, and while blood contact is the route, the standout point here is the rapid inmate turnover leading to a large annual passage of infected individuals.

Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus, so its spread comes from blood-to-blood contact, not through food or casual contact. In prison settings, there’s high turnover—with many inmates entering and leaving each year and a large overlap with risk factors like injection drug use. That combination means a substantial portion of all people who have hepatitis C will pass through jails and prisons every year, estimated at about one-third. This turnover makes correctional facilities a key point for identifying and treating infections in the broader community.

The other statements are incorrect because hepatitis C can be found in prison populations, it is not transmitted only by food, and while blood contact is the route, the standout point here is the rapid inmate turnover leading to a large annual passage of infected individuals.