Incidence of hepatitis B in the penitentiary of New Mexico

A study was conducted to determine the incidence of hepatitis B (HB) in a prison population. Forty-seven per cent of 455 male prisoners had evidence of past HB infection. HB seropositivity was most strongly correlated with: 1) a history of IV drug abuse; 2) age; 3) total time in any prison; and 4) race. During a one-year study period there were no clinical cases of HB in the prison and the seroconversion rate was 0.8 per cent among prisoners still incarcerated.