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In this issue

Presence of hepatitis C virus in syringes confiscated in prisons in Australia Prison officers sustaining needlestick injuries from syringes lying about in prisons are at particular risk of contracting hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection due to the high prevalence of hepatitis C in incarcerated individuals (40–60%). How infective are these syringes? Not that much, according to Dolan et al. who tested 69 confiscated syringes for evidence of HCV infection; only three tested positive. While this could be due to sampling error or low detection rates from delayed testing, the relatively low infection rates should provide some reassurance to prison personnel at risk.