To Australia’s best prison newspaper, About Time.
I would like to bring to the attention of everyone who reads this newspaper both incarcerated/simply at liberty of a very real epidemic that is Australia-wide, but even more so in correctional settings.
Helicobacter pylori is an infection of bacteria in the stomach with symptoms ranging from mild to severe heartburn, stomach pains, diarrhoea, gastrointestinal problems, duodenal ulcers, stomach ulcers, and possible gastric-related cancers.
About 1/3 of the world’s population carry the bacteria and up to 1/3 of Australians have it and it is more prevalent in Aboriginal communities.
Considering the level of incarceration of Indigenous peoples, prisons also carry a very high level of infection. I have had it and was treated with a heavy course of antibiotics which comes with its own side effects, only to begin displaying symptoms of Helicobacter pylori infection again just a few months later.
I have known others who have also been diagnosed with and treated for it.
Not only do I think this is a prison problem, but also an Australia-wide problem with potentially long-term effects both health-wise and financially to the country.
I would love to see mass screening and possible eradication of this disease.
Healthdirect.gov.au/helicobacter-pylori is the go-to web address for all the relevant information.
