Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, appeared on today’s Diane Rehm Show. You can hear it online.
I sent him the following email:
Subject: Ex-Offenders and HIV/AIDS Epidemiology
Dr. Fauci:
In Dr. Hader’s otherwise excellent study of the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in DC I do not see a break-out for male respondents who have previously been incarcerated.
The ethnographic literature suggests this might account for many of the patterns reported. Is this not routinely captured in epidemiological data?
Dr. Fauci replied that this was not yet universal, but was increasingly part of AIDS studies as jurisdictions stop denying the high incidence of prison and jail sexuality. He discussed HIV/AIDs treatment and prevention for the incarcerated and the lack of medical follow-through for ex-offenders, but did not speak further on ex-offenders as a vector for heterosexual and prenatal HIV.
Sybil Bowick, DC DOH Public Information Officer, passed my questions about this matter to Dr. Hadar’s group this morning, so perhaps we will learn if the DC government is following this line of inquiry.
Image by Mike Licht.
