Two inmates have filed a lawsuit against the Tennessee Department of Corrections, accusing the state organization of systematically denying prisoners treatment for hepatitis C amid a widespread outbreak of the virus across the prison, according to Nashville Public Radio.
Prison officials have cited the cost of treatment and the high likelihood of renascent infections among cured inmates as reasons to limit treatments administered to prisoners. The anti-viral regiment reportedly costs $80,000 per patient. Currently, one in six inmates across the Tennessee prison system is infected with hepatitis C. As of May 2016, only a handful of prisoners across the state were receiving treatment for the infection, according to Nashville Public Radio.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee argues the denial of treatment is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment.
A spokesperson for the TDOC told Nashville Public Radio they were "confident the department is providing adequate medical care as determined by medical protocol."
Hepatitis C is a liver infection and is most often transmitted through intravenous needle sharing during drug use. If the infection becomes chronic, it can be deadly.
Learn more about hepatitis C here.
More articles on infection control:
Protein from breast milk reduces staph infection risk in premature infants
Top 10 infection control stories, July 18-22
Researchers make progress toward universal flu vaccine