An inmate whose HIV-positive diagnosis devolved into AIDS died because the medical staff at the jail where he was housed denied him lifesaving medication, a new federal wrongful death lawsuit alleges.

An inmate whose HIV-positive diagnosis devolved into AIDS died because the medical staff at the California jail where he was housed denied him lifesaving medication even though they had his prescription and were told he needed it to survive, a new federal wrongful death lawsuit alleges

  • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    427·
    10 months ago

    Privatising penal and detention services is so bizarre. Does this happen a lot all over the world or just the US?

    As an aside for people who may not realise, HIV isn’t a big deal provided that you manage it with meds. I’d rather have HIV than say, back problems.

    Due to recent advances in medication delivery, it’s just 2 injections a year now.

    For someone’s health to deteriorate like that in just 2 months, I suspect that he wasn’t able to keep up with his meds before he was arrested.

    • WaxedWookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      381·
      10 months ago

      You’re assuming he was on the bi-annual treatment, which I’m not sure would be the case - doubly so in the prison system.

      Either way, they had a duty of care that they failed miserably - he couldn’t just pop to the pharmacy to get the meds he needed to live (and help prevent a deadly disease spreading in the prison). This is entirely the prison’s fault.

      • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        416·
        10 months ago

        No, I wasn’t assuming that at all. The article says he was on daily antiretrovirals when he was arrested.

        My best guess is that he had very poor adherence prior to jail - perhaps extended periods without the daily needs. So he was on meds at that time, but you wouldn’t say he was well managed.

        Mostly supposition anyway.

        • WaxedWookie@lemmy.worldEnglish
          18·
          10 months ago

          If he was on the dailies, his protection would have tapered off pretty quickly, no? With that happening in the close, unhygienic confines of prison, results were predictable.

          I’m not sure the relevance or basis for his adherence prior to jail.

          • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            39·
            10 months ago

            It’s not really relevant. I’m not trying to blame him. Just that someone close to me is on ARV and I had always thought it would take more than 2 months.

            My understanding is, it would only take 3 weeks for your viral load to become clinically significant, thereafter it would take at least 6 months for your CD4 to diminish, and other viruses like the flu and herpes to take their toll.

        • OurTragicUniverse@kbin.social
          9·
          10 months ago

          His immune system was failing without the hiv meds, so all infections and diseases picked up while incarcerated was massively more harmful to his body than it would have been otherwise (or to anyone healthy).

          Think about how dirty and unhygenic and likely over crowded these detention centres are and how little healthcare is accessible to anyone incarcerated.

          There are yeasts and various skin fungi everywhere, lots of prisoners with ‘minor’ respiratory infections which are probably COVID, the food is the lowest quality with very poor production standards and often mould, there’s very likely mould on the walls and bedding in the cells and fecal matter from toilet spray too.

          • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            32·
            10 months ago

            It takes a few years after infection for your immune system to develop AIDS after HIV infection.

            ARV prevents AIDS, most people on ARV have an immune system comparable to anyone else. The ARV is not a substitute immune system, it prevents HIV reproducing, which allows your immune system to function normally.

            With all that in mind, I had assumed it would take at least 6 months after ARV cessation to die from AIDS related infections, but I may be wrong.

            • OurTragicUniverse@kbin.social
              3·
              10 months ago

              Prolonged extreme stress can wreck your body even if you’re perfectly healthy before experiencing it, and it wrecks you faster and worse if you have any chronic illnesses.

              I’m just guessing here but I don’t think he was unstressed and perfectly healthy before going into prison.

    • Deceptichum@kbin.social
      101·
      10 months ago

      It’s basically just the anglosphere

      in 2013, countries that were currently using private prisons or in the process of implementing such plans included Brazil, Chile, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand. However, at the time, the sector was still dominated by the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_prison

      That is 10 years out of date, so more are probably in on it because capitalism is fucked like that.