INTRAVENOUS AND INJECTION (IDU)
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major concern for people who inject drugs. In fact, intravenous or injection drug use (IDU) is the main way HCV is transmitted. Sixty three per cent of all hepatitis C cases in Canada are due to intravenous drug use. The virus is transmitted through infected blood transferred by shared syringes, needles, spoons, water, filters, tourniquets, swabs and drug-mixing containers.
Intravenous/injection drug users are more likely to contract HCV than any other viral infection. Most people who have injected drugs have hepatitis C. After five years of injecting, as many as 90 per cent of users are infected with HCV.
Even sharing one time can expose you to the virus! The risk of contracting HCV depends on injection practices, not the type of drug used.
There are four times more 18 to 25-year olds with HCV than HIV.
HCV can also be spread through nasal membranes if you share straws to use cocaine. Cocaine is very hard on the nasal lining and can make it bleed. Then, the blood can remain on the straw.
Why are intravenous/injection drug users more likely to contract hepatitis C?
- HCV is easily spread by blood-to-blood exposure
- When drugs are injected, blood comes into contact with the equipment used:
- Needles
- Syringes
- Swabs
- Filters
- Tourniquets
- Spoons
- Water
- Drug-mixing containers
- Hepatitis C can easily get into the body when the above equipment is shared
with other drug users
- The risk of infection applies to injection practices such as reusing filters, drawing up from a common container of water, using the same spoon as someone else, frontloading, backloading, flushing out and skin popping.
Click here for safer injection practices.
