Heroin Abuse Is Also Fueling This Viral Epidemic

MACHIAS, Maine (AP) -- Public health agencies and drug treatment centers nationwide are scrambling to battle an explosive increase in cases of hepatitis C, a scourge they believe stems at least in part from a surge in intravenous heroin use. In response, authorities are instituting or considering needle exchange programs but are often stymied by geography - many cases are in rural areas - and the cost of treatment in tight times. In Washington County, at the nation's eastern edge, the rate of the acute form of hepatitis C last year was the highest in a state that was already more than triple the national average. The problem, health officials there agree, is spurred by the surge in the use of heroin and other injectable drugs and the sharing of needles to get high. Ryan Kinsella's story is sadly typical. He was badly hurt in a rock climbing accident and became dependent on opioid painkillers several years ago. But when his prescriptions ran out, he sought drugs from the street, where he found heroin cheaper and easy to get, replacing one addiction for another. He's now recovering from hepatitis C. "It's tough getting medical professionals to look at you as something that's not a junkie," said Kinsella, 33, who runs a bicycle shop in tiny Penobscot, next door in Hancock County. "There's a little bit of social stigma, and there's a little bit of `There's nothing we can do for you' that's hard to hear."     Maine is undergoing its worst outbreak of acute hepatiti...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news