Evidence for a substantial role of sharing of injecting paraphernalia other than syringeseedles to the spread of hepatitis C among injecting drug users.

摘要

In industrialized countries, transmission of hepatitis C occurs primarily through injecting drug use. Transmission of hepatitis C in injecting drug users is mainly associated with the sharing of contaminated syringeseedles, although evidence for risk of hepatitis C infection through sharing of other injecting paraphernalia is increasing. In this paper, the independent effects of sharing paraphernalia other than syringeseedles have been estimated. The prevalence and force of infection were modelled using three serological data sets from drug users in three centres in Belgium as a function of the sharing behaviour. It was found that sharing of materials other than syringeseedles indeed seemed to contribute substantially to the spread of hepatitis C among injecting drug users.