World Hepatitis Day: What preliminary PACE Gap Analysis findings reveal about hepatitis prevention and care in prison settings

On World Hepatitis Day, PACE highlights the importance of looking beyond whether hepatitis services exist in prisons and asking a more important question: Are they accessible, comprehensive and connected to care after release?

Preliminary findings from the EU4Health-funded PACE project, covering 17 prison facilities in seven European countries and more than 10,000 people living in prison, show that although many hepatitis prevention and care services are available, important gaps remain across the care pathway.

Key findings include:

• Hepatitis B vaccination is available in most facilities, but only 2 out of 17 systematically ensure completion of the vaccination course.
• Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C testing are widely available; however continuity of care after release remains limited (only 4 out of 17 facilities reported systematic treatment handover).
• Although Hepatitis C treatment is available in most facilities (13 out of 17), only 5 out of 17 have a simplified and systematic treatment pathway.

These findings highlight that availability alone is not enough. Ensuring people living in prison can complete vaccination, receive timely treatment and remain connected to care after release is essential to preventing infection-related cancers and reducing health inequalities.

The findings will inform the design of facility-specific Pathfinder interventions, which will be implemented during the next phase of the PACE project to strengthen hepatitis prevention, vaccination, screening and linkage to care for people living in prison.