One in four people who inject drugs (PWID) in the UK are currently infected with hepatitis C (HCV), with no evidence of a reduction in new HCV infections, according to official figures.
The statistics are presented in a new report from Public Health England, Public Health Scotland, Public Health Wales and Public Health Agency Northern Ireland.
The report - Shooting Up: infections among people who inject drugs in the UK, 2019 - describes the extent of infections among PWIDs across the UK.
It states that HCV continues to be a major problem. There is early evidence for a modest reduction in chronic HCV prevalence, concomitant with the scale-up of direct-acting antiviral treatment among PWID. An increase in testing among PWID in line with HCV elimination activities can also be observed in 2019, yet a high proportion of individuals reported they had not been tested recently.
“It is of utmost importance that diagnostic testing services and care and treatment pathways for those infected are continued and optimised to meet the needs of PWID,” the document advises.
The changing patterns of psychoactive drug injection in the UK also remain a concern. Injection of crack cocaine remained high in England and Wales, and injection of powder cocaine has increased in Scotland.
The report says there is a need for local treatment and harm reduction systems that can respond to both the increasing numbers and the specific needs of crack and powder cocaine users.
