Hundreds of Former Queensland Prisoners Potentially Exposed to HIV, Hepatitis C
Hundreds of former prisoners in Queensland may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis C after an infected male offender reportedly shared injecting equipment in jail.
Queensland Health has initiated contact with approximately 300 individuals now in the community who were admitted to an adult male correctional centre in Queensland between January and June 2025. These individuals are being advised to seek testing. The department confirmed that work is ongoing, with those still in correctional centers being followed up by prisoner health services.
Queensland Health is contacting approximately 300 former prisoners for HIV and hepatitis C testing following an inmate's report of sharing injecting equipment while unknowingly infected.
The exposure was identified after an individual, unknowingly infected with both HIV and hepatitis C, reported sharing injecting equipment with other inmates. Specific injecting partners could not be identified through contact tracing.
Policy Context and Calls for Change
The incident has renewed calls for the introduction of harm minimization strategies in Australian prisons. Currently, no Australian prisons have needle and syringe exchange programs. Queensland is the only Australian state that does not permit condoms in its prisons, citing "operational reasons to ensure the safety and security of the facility."
No Australian prisons currently offer needle and syringe exchange programs, and Queensland uniquely prohibits condoms, prompting renewed calls for harm minimization strategies.
Advocates, including Hepatitis Queensland CEO Anna Hawkes and sexual health doctor Wendell Rosevear, have supported Queensland Health's contact tracing efforts and urged for preventive measures such as needle and syringe programs and condoms in correctional facilities. Dr. Rosevear stated that denying access to health measures contributes to "preventable disease."
Prevalence and Testing in Prisons
Epidemiologist Skye McGregor of the Kirby Institute noted that Australia has comprehensive testing programs for hepatitis C and HIV in prisons. In 2024, Australia recorded 757 new cases of HIV and 7,281 new hepatitis C notifications nationally.
The estimated prevalence rate of HIV in Australian prisoners is between 0.2-0.6%, while active hepatitis C infection was found in 8% of prisoners in 2022. Dr. McGregor indicated that this difference suggests a greater risk for hepatitis C acquisition compared to HIV among incarcerated individuals.
Unions representing prison officers in some states have expressed opposition to needle and syringe programs on safety grounds.