Management of serious infections in correctional facilities

Infections in prison present special challenges to health care personnel. Because of crowding, poor ventilation, and sexual contact among inmates, prisons are a breeding ground for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV infection, and AIDS. Yet the medical facilities inside correctional institutions are quite variable and often limited. This state of affairs requires physicians to be on high alert to the types of diagnostic problems that may be confronted and to be proactive in referring patients to tertiary care facilities. Ln this article, several clinicians in the field of correctional medicine outline their approach to the management of some of the more serious kinds of infections that are encountered.