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Hepatitis C & IV Drug Users
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This series was made possible through a fellowship from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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Hepatitis C: An Epidemic More Widespread than HIV
There's a chronic liver disease that's ten times more infectious than HIV, and more widespread. Hepatitis C is a virus that's spread through IV drug use, like HIV. Left untreated, hepatitis C can cause life-threatening complications, including liver cancer. In this first of a four-part series, KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg takes a look at the epidemic of hepatitis C.
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Clean Syringe Exchange Tries to Reduce Risky Behavior
IV drug users are at high risk of spreading blood-borne diseases like hepatitis C and HIV. To combat this threat, the City of San Diego has a mobile clean syringe exchange program that operates twice a week.
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County Supervisors Say No to Clean Syringe Exchange
People who inject illegal drugs are at highest risk of spreading hepatitis C, HIV, and other blood-borne diseases. To reduce that threat, communities all across the country have launched clean syringe exchange programs. The City of San Diego allows a needle exchange to operate twice a week. In part three of a four part series, KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg explores why the County Board of Supervisors refuses to consider that option.
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Syringe Exchange Widespread in New York City
New York City has more IV drug users than any other city in the U.S. To prevent the spread of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis C, it has a wide network of clean syringe exchange programs.
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Above: Reported cases of hepatitis c in San Diego County from 1998-2007.
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Quick Reference: Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV infection sometimes results in an acute illness, but most often becomes a chronic condition that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. The form of transmission is contact with the blood of an infected person, primarily through sharing contaminated needles to inject drugs. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
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