Reinfection following direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C infection among people in prison with recent injecting drug use: the SHARP-P study

Key Points

• To investigate the incidence of hepatitis C reinfection among individuals with recent injecting drug use in prison after antiviral therapy.
• Observed reinfection cases in prisons with a focus on individuals who recently used drugs.
• Analyzed the impact of current prison policies on access to sterile injecting equipment.
• Examined recurrent viremia rates to understand reinfection implications.
• High incidence of HCV reinfection was documented, primarily among those with recent injecting drug use.
• Reinfection was found to be the major cause of recurrent viremia among the studied population.
• The findings indicate that current harm reduction measures are insufficient in preventing reinfection.