{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T15:26:54Z","timestamp":1789140414061,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]],"date-time":"2024-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721692800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hepatitis C (HCV) screening efforts in carceral settings. We explored the impact of the pandemic on HCV screening in two of Quebec\u2019s largest provincial prisons.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Retrospective data of HCV-related laboratory tests between July 2018 and February 2022 at l\u2019\u00c9tablissement de d\u00e9tention de Montr\u00e9al (EDM) and l\u2019\u00c9tablissement de d\u00e9tention de Rivi\u00e8re-des-Prairies (EDRDP) were obtained. To examine the association between the pandemic and the number of HCV-antibody (HCV-Ab) tests, a three-level time period variable was created: pre-outbreak, outbreak, and post-outbreak. Negative binomial regression (with monthly admissions as an offset) was used to assess the change in HCV-Ab tests across time periods and by prisons. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 1,790 HCV-Ab tests were performed; 56 (3%) were positive. Among these, 44 (79%) HCV RNA tests were performed; 23 (52%) were positive. There was a significant decrease in HCV-Ab screening at EDM during the outbreak (aOR 0.29; 95% CI 0.17\u20130.48) and post-outbreak (aOR 0.49; 95% CI 0.35\u20130.69) periods, compared to the pre-outbreak period. There was no significant change in HCV-Ab screening at EDRDP during the outbreak (aOR 0.98; 95% CI 0.49\u20132.11) but a significant increase in HCV-Ab screening post-outbreak (aOR 1.66; 95% CI 1.04\u20132.72).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected HCV screening at EDM but had minimal impact at EDRDP. To eliminate HCV from carceral settings, minimizing screening interruptions during future outbreaks and combined HCV\/SARS-CoV-2 screening should be prioritized.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1380126","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]],"date-time":"2024-07-23T15:58:27Z","timestamp":1721750307000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hepatitis C virus screening in provincial prisons in Montreal, Quebec, Canada"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Nadine","family":"Kronfli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Frederic","family":"Leone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Camille","family":"Dussault","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Miliani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elvira","family":"Gallant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Molly","family":"Potter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Cox","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2020.07.042","article-title":"Impact 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Experience in an area of southern Italy in the province of Salerno","volume":"42","author":"Torre","year":"2022","journal-title":"Liver Int"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1038\/s43856-023-00292-y","article-title":"Combined COVID-19 vaccination and hepatitis C virus screening intervention in marginalised populations in Spain","volume":"3","author":"Lazarus","year":"2023","journal-title":"Commun Med"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1583","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMp2100609","article-title":"Vaccination plus Decarceration \u2014 stopping Covid-19 in jails and prisons","volume":"384","author":"Barsky","year":"2021","journal-title":"N Engl J Med"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103345","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2021.103345","article-title":"Implementing opt-out hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening in Canadian provincial prisons: a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis","volume":"96","author":"Duchesne","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Drug Policy"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E674","DOI":"10.9778\/cmajo.20190068","article-title":"The hepatitis C virus cascade of care in a Quebec provincial prison: a retrospective cohort study","volume":"7","author":"Kronfli","year":"2019","journal-title":"Cmajo"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1002\/cld.1023","article-title":"Hepatitis C virus prevalence, screening, and treatment among people who are incarcerated in Canada: leaving no one behind in the direct-acting antiviral era","volume":"17","author":"Bartlett","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Liver Dis"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"190","DOI":"10.3138\/canlivj-2022-0040","article-title":"Public reimbursement policies in Canada for direct-acting antiviral treatment of hepatitis C virus infection: a descriptive study","volume":"6","author":"Snell","year":"2023","journal-title":"Can Liver J"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1380126\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]],"date-time":"2024-07-23T15:58:33Z","timestamp":1721750313000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1380126\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]]},"references-count":31,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1380126"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1380126","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,23]]},"article-number":"1380126"}}