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Researchers at the University of
California San Francisco (UCSF) have come up with six measures to prevent
hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission among injection drug users. The measures
resulted from the “U Find Out” (UFO) study, a 16-year UCSF injection drug use
research project funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and the
Australian Government Department of Health and Aging.
After examining various data
sources, the researchers estimated 31,000 new HCV diagnoses occurred per year
and pinpointed six areas for focusing prevention efforts. Although syringe
exchange has worked, the researchers found that the virus lived a long time on
surfaces and could contaminate drug-injection equipment in addition to
syringes. As a result, they approved of expanding needle exchanges across the
country, but recommended that all needle exchanges provided clean preparation
equipment as well as the usual needles and syringes. The researchers also recommended
HCV screening, testing, and counseling; risk reduction through interventions
targeting the social and relational environment of injecting; interventions
that provided breaks from or completely ended drug use; development of models
to guide new hepatitis C treatments and vaccines; and combined interventions to
end HCV risk and injecting drug use.
The study also examined behaviors
associated with users’ attempts to complete substance abuse programs. Although
the injectors often failed the programs, the study showed that the more they
tried to quit or take breaks from drugs, the higher the chances that they would
succeed eventually. The researchers highlighted the value of taking breaks from
drugs to reduce the risk of transmission and help end drug use, and disapproved
of treatment programs that permanently banned injectors who failed as not being
conducive to reducing disease exposure risks or ending the drug use.
The full report, “Injection Drug Use
and Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Young Adult Injectors: Using Evidence to
Inform Comprehensive Prevention,” was published in a supplement to the journal
Clinical Infectious Disease (2013; 57 [Suppl 2]: S32–S38).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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