Should Female Federal Inmates Be Screened for Chlamydial and Gonococcal Infection?

The study was implemented to assist the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in designing a rational chlamydial and gonococcal screening protocol for female inmates based on prevalence of infection. Surveys were administered and urine and swab specimens collected from study participants. At the prison where women were screened at entry, 1.2% tested positive for CT and 0.3% tested positive for GC. At the prison where women were not screened, 2.3% were positive for CT; no GC cases were identified. At this site, young age (18-22 years) was the most important factor associated with infection (RR 6.4), where a prevalence of 8.5% was found. Prevalence among women age 30 and younger exceeded 3.5%O. Screening women age 30 and younger would identify more than 60% of cases at an estimated cost of less than $60,000 per year at this site. It is recommended that women 30 years of age and younger be screened at intake for chlamydial infection at federal prisons.