High Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection among Inmates in Korean Correctional Facilities

Epidemiological data are crucial in designing policies for the control of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. There is a lack of data on the epidemiology of HIV in Korean correctional facilities such as jails and prisons. Clinical characteristics of the study population were collected through a medical record review. The number of people with HIV infection were 83 and the HIV infection prevalence in correctional facilities of Korea was 0.15%. Among them, 10 (12.0%) were diagnosed with the infection when they were incarcerated. The number of drug users was 38 (45.8%). Syphilis-HIV coinfection was observed in 21 (25.3%) patients. Individuals from the group comprising the drug users were more likely to belong to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community, and had a higher incidence of psychological disorders (31.6% vs. 11.1%, = 0.029; 50.0% vs. 28.9%, = 0.049, respectively). Inmates of correctional facilities showed a five times higher prevalence of HIV infection in Korea, nearly half of whom were drug users.