Virtual special issue: Making prisons and places of detention resilient to infectious diseases

This virtual special issue is based on content originally commissioned, guest-edited and/or collated by:

Filipa Alves da Costa, Assistant Professor at Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, and Consultant for WHO Regional for Europe, Denmark

Chantal Edge, National Lead for Health and Justice, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, United Kingdom

Carina Ferreira-Borges, Regional Adviser for Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health at WHO Regional for Europe, Denmark

Alicia Rosello, United Kingdom Health Security Agency, United Kingdom

Daniel Lopez Acuña, Adjunct Professor, Andalusian School of Public Health, Spain and Consultant for WHO Regional Office for Europe, Denmark

The following articles are part of this virtual special issue:

Editorial: Making prisons and places of detention resilient to infectious diseases 

Condom provision in prison settings: misconceptions, stereotypes and recommendations to promote acceptance

Unravelling the experiences of incarcerated individuals living with HIV on ART: a qualitative study in Ghanaian prisons

Trends in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses among people in prison in England, 2018-2023: analysis of surveillance and pilot seroprevalence data

Prevalence of COVID-19 in prison population: a meta-analysis of 35 studies

Managing COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons – a brief review of literature and key lessons learnt

COVID-19 in correctional facilities in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective epidemiological analysis from 15 January 2020 to 31 December 2022

Some other articles recently published on this theme in the International Journal of Prison Health include:

Self-reported tuberculosis in Ecuador’s prisons: an analysis of its prevalence and determinants in 2022

Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection and identification of associated risk factors in overcrowded Central Prison Rawalpindi, Pakistan

The priorities for a prisoner are food, being able to talk to their family, and taking a shower: the experiences of prisoners placed in emergency isolation due to COVID-19 in a Catalan prison

COVID-related disruptions and adaptations to prison-based mental health and substance use services: a narrative review