SynthesisThe International journal on drug policy2026
The global epidemiology of injecting drug use, HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis among people who are incarcerated: a multistage systematic review.
Synthesis in The International journal on drug policy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Best practice guidelines for viral hepatitis service delivery in prisons.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Enhancing uptake of the Canadian Prison Needle Exchange Program using a non-randomized stepped-wedge cluster type 1 hybrid implementation trial: The NEXUS study protocol.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Adult Incarceration Among People With Opioid Use Disorder in New South Wales, Australia.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Article
- Probation as a targeted entry point for scaling up opioid agonist therapies in Moldova using a modified screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment strategy.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
26 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis global systematic review assesses the prevalence of injecting drug use (IDU) and key infectious diseases (HIV, hepatitis C virus [HCV], tuberculosis and hepatitis B virus [HBV]) among people who are incarcerated.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO), internet, and grey literature databases, from January 2000 through 2nd June 2025 and engaged international experts and relevant agencies liaising with key agencies focused on incarcerated populations (WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS and EUDA). Data on study methods, size of incarcerated populations and demographic characteristics, and prevalence of IDU, HIV, HCV, HBV and tuberculosis among incarcerated populations were extracted. Meta-analyses pooled data where multiple estimates were available for a country; regional and global estimates were calculated, weighted by incarcerated population size. We present overall country, regional and global prevalence estimates for each variable examined, stratified by sex. We then estimated the ratio of IDU, HIV, HCV, HBV and tuberculosis prevalence among incarcerated populations compared to the general population.
resultsOf 75,755 screened documents, 2,968 were eligible for data extraction. There are approximately 11,322,000 people aged 15-64 years incarcerated globally with their incarceration rate being 221 per 100,000 (29 per 100,000 among females and 404 per 100,000 among males). Substantial variation in rates across countries and regions were observed with the highest regional rate being in North America. Globally, we estimate that 11·9% of people who are incarcerated have ever injected drugs (1,348,000; 95%CI 1,061,500-1,687,000), 51·4 times higher than the general population. We estimate that 3·7% (95%CI 2·5-5·4) of people who are incarcerated globally are living with HIV (25.1· times higher than the general population); 11·7% (95%CI 7·7-17·1) have current HCV infection (15·6 times higher); 4·4% (95%CI 2·4-7·7) have current HBV infection (2·2 times higher) and 2·5% (95%CI 1·5-3·8) have active tuberculosis (45·3 times higher than the general population). There is substantial variation geographically and among females and males.
conclusionThe substantial concentration of people with multiple risks and comorbidities requires improved strategies to screen, evaluate, treat and prevent these adverse consequences, which is crucial for global control efforts.
fundingAustralian National Health and Medical Research Council.
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Registered trials
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