SYDNEY, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Introducing needle and syringe programs in Australian prisons could more than halve the costs of treating injection-related infections, according to a study published on Monday.
The study, with a new national modelling, the first of its kind in Australia, shows there would be significant economic benefits to implementing prison-based programs.
It estimates the programs would cost 12.2 million Australian dollars to implement between 2025 and 2030. But by preventing nearly 900 hepatitis C cases and over 500 bacterial or fungal infections, they could save the health system 31.7 million Australian dollars.
That's a return of more than 2 dollars in savings for every 1 dollar invested, Farah Houdroge, mathematical modeler at the Melbourne-based Burnet Institute, said in an article published by the Conversation.
Australia already leads the world in community-based needle and syringe programs, distributing more than 50 million sterile kits a year through over 4,200 sites as of 2021, the researchers said.
But these harm-reduction strategies stop at the prison gate. Up to half of Australia's prison population has injected drugs at some point, and around 40 percent of those who used drugs before incarceration continue inside.
Without access to clean equipment, needle sharing is common, fueling infection rates, according to the study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.
In 2023, 42 percent of all hepatitis C treatments in Australia were delivered in prisons, which was a clear sign of the crisis. However, unlike in the community, where prevention reduces reinfection, prisons rely on treatment alone. This leads to higher reinfection rates, adding to long-term healthcare costs, the study shows.
With hepatitis C elimination by 2030 a national goal, experts called for combining prison-based treatment with prevention strategies, including needle and syringe programs. (1 Australian dollar equals 0.64 U.S. dollars) ■
