‘Hep C’s like the common cold’: Understanding barriers along the HCV care continuum among young people who inject drugs

HCV infections in the United States have increased significantly among young people during the past decade (Suryaprasad et al., 2014). Between 2002 and 2013, HCV infections in Massachusetts (MA) increased by 137% among those aged 15 –29, with more than 2,000 newly reported infections each year (MDPH, 2014). This increase has largely been attributable to injection drug use (MDPH, 2014). In recent years, new treatments have been developed for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that could potentially be life saving for people who injec t drugs (PWID); however, uptake has been less than optimal.

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - July 20, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Margie R. Skeer, Keren Ladin, Lindsay E. Wilkins, David M. Landy, Thomas J. Stopka Tags: Full length article Source Type: research