The following article by Victoria Law appeared in The Body.
Hepatitis C is Common in Prisons, but Treatment Is Rare
By Victoria Law
August 24, 2015
Do jail and prison authorities have the right to deny prisoners life-saving medical care simply because of the price tag? People imprisoned in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Minnesota are heading to court to find out, with suits focused on access to expensive treatment that can cure hepatitis C. Although prisoner's access to HIV screening and treatment has expanded, hepatitis C treatment remains extremely rare despite high rates of infection among prisoners, many of whom may also be living with HIV.
In early August, attorneys for 61-year-old political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated in Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit challenging the prison authorities' denial of medical care, including treatment for hepatitis C.
In January 2012, Abu-Jamal, who has diabetes, tested positive for the hepatitis C antibody but received no follow-up care. In August 2014, he told medical staff that he was experiencing itching over his entire body. No testing was done to determine his viral load or the possibility that the rash, which was spreading, might be a manifestation of an active hepatitis C infection. The following year, the rash became infected and lesions began to appear. Medical staff noted in his records that these lesions were "too numerous to count." His lower extremities became swollen, his skin took on a dark, scaly appearance and, by February 2015, the rash covered 70% of his body.
On March 30th, Abu-Jamal went into diabetic shock, lost consciousness and was rushed to an outside hospital. He was returned to the prison two days later. In May 2015, Abu-Jamal was again taken to an outside hospital, but was not tested for hepatitis C viral load or genotype. Instead, the discharge report advised the Department of Corrections to order a medical workup since Abu-Jamal might be a suitable candidate for HCV treatment.
It was two more months before a prison doctor told Abu-Jamal that a blood test revealed that he has active hepatitis C. Abu-Jamal was also informed that the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections currently has no protocol for treating hepatitis C. Abu-Jamal's attorney, Bret Grote, is seeking a preliminary injunction ordering tests and treatment because, without them, Abu-Jamal will suffer irreparable damage. In the meantime, supporters are mounting a call-in campaign demanding hepatitis C treatment for Abu-Jamal and others in the Pennsylvania prison system.
Hepatitis C: Serious but Curable
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that can cause lasting health damage and death. Although 15% to 25% of people infected have immune systems that can clear the virus, the other 75% to 85% become chronically infected, meaning that the virus evades their immune systems' response. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60% to 70% of those affected will develop chronic liver disease, 5% to 20% will develop cirrhosis and 1% to 5% will die from liver cancer or cirrhosis caused by HCV. However, unless tested, people may not even know that they are infected; symptoms often take 20 to 30 years to appear.
Read Victoria Law's full article here.
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