Investigation of a Suspected Outbreak of Vaginal Trichomoniasis Among Female Inmates

Background and Objectives: Female inmates have high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and many incarcerated women and jail providers believe STDs are acquired within the jail. We investigated a suspected outbreak of trichomoniasis among female inmates and described the epidemiology of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexually transmitted diseases 1999-07, Vol.26 (6), p.335-338
Main Authors: KLAUSNER, JEFFREY D., BAER, JEFFERSON T., CONTENTO, KATHERINE M., BOLAN, GAIL
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Disease Outbreaks
Female
Human protozoal diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Medical screening
Parasitic diseases
Parasitic diseases due to ciliates and flagellates
Prisoners
Protozoal diseases
Retrospective Studies
Sexually transmitted diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology
STD
Trichomonas vaginalis - isolation & purification
Trichomonas Vaginitis - epidemiology
Trichomonas Vaginitis - parasitology
Women
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Summary:Background and Objectives: Female inmates have high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and many incarcerated women and jail providers believe STDs are acquired within the jail. We investigated a suspected outbreak of trichomoniasis among female inmates and described the epidemiology of trichomonas infection. Goals of this Study: To determine the likelihood of within-jail acquisition of trichomoniasis. Study Design: Retrospective chart review of gynecologic visits to the jail medical clinic and comparison of trichomoniasis surveillance data over a 6-year time period. Results: The minimum prevalence of trichomoniasis infection among 450 female inmates presenting to the medical clinic for gynecologic evaluation was 37%. Most infections were diagnosed early after incarceration, no woman developed a new infection after adequate treatment, and there was no clustering of cases by time or location. Conclusion: There was no evidence to support within-jail acquisition of trichomoniasis. The high rate of trichomoniasis and other STDs among incarcerated women warrant more comprehensive jail-based STD screening programs.
ISSN:0148-5717
1537-4521
DOI:10.1097/00007435-199907000-00005