hepatitis c
Prison puzzle: Treating hepatitis C
Paul Christopher Webster, Canadian Medical Association Journal
Call it a quandary of epidemic proportions. Imagine a population group in which 30% of its members have a specific disease. It can be treated, but at a relatively stiff price that strains a limited budget. Along comes a new treatment that’s much more effective but at threefold cost. Failure to effectively treat a patient will likely result in a long-term health condition that will constitute an even greater drain on resources. Complicating the task is that the political mandarins who ultimately fix the budget appear to be ideologically opposed to harm reduction programs that could reduce the incidence rate and treatment costs that appear to be rising exponentially. Read more »
NACS event brings awareness to Hepatitis C
By: Matt Veno, Truro Daily News
TRURO - Hepatitis C is here and it's time to tackle it by the horns.
That was the sentiment echoed Monday at the Northern Aids Connection Society in Truro, which hosted an open house to try to bring the issue to light.
"To create some awareness," said Al McNutt, the NACS director. "To have people come into the site, meet the staff, see some of the material we have, see the experience and resources we have for people who are living with Hepatitis C or are vulnerable populations who may be at risk eventually."
The event was part of World Hepatitis Day. NACS also has a barbecue Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sobeys on Robie Street. Read more »
Needle exchange in prisons makes sense
By Richard Elliott, Vancouver SunRe: Ideology, not reality, drives Tories' AIDS policy, July 24
Peter McKnight's column nicely showcased the flawed logic in the government's approach to HIV/AIDS, where relevant evidence is ignored.
One area not specifically addressed is the high rates of HIV and hepatitis C in Canada's prisons. We argue -with ample evidence to back it up -that providing clean needles and syringes in prisons would help curtail the spread of disease. More than 90 per cent of people in prison eventually return to society. Doesn't it make sense to ensure that the least possible number of them acquire infections while inside?
Health and safety the point of the program
By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This WeekBehind the front counter of the ASK Wellness Centre on Tranquille Road is a yellow biohazard bucket.
The bucket is just one cog in the city’s needle-exchange program.
A heroin user in search of a fresh needle can simply bring in their used ones and discard them in the yellow box for a new set.
They may get a tutorial on how to properly use the needle, along with some information if they want to get help for their addiction.
The person then writes their initial on a sign-in sheet and goes on their way.
That sheet is handed over to the Interior Health Authority, which collects and records the data.
Abbotsford considers lifting needle exchange ban
CBC NewsAbbotsford, B.C., city council has voted to reconsider its ban on needle exchanges and supervised injection sites because of the high rate of hepatitis C in the community.
The city, which is located in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver, has a zoning bylaw that prevents methadone treatment clinics, needle exchanges and supervised injection sites from setting up.
But the Fraser Health director of health promotion and prevention, David Portesi, is encouraging Abbotsford to look at harm reduction strategies for intravenous drug users.
Portesi says hepatitis C is a problem in the Fraser Valley, which has become known as a hot spot for drug and gang activity in recent years.
Needle drop boxes now up
By: Jen Skerritt, Winnipeg Free PressThe city's first-ever needle drop boxes were placed in six different location last week in an effort to stave off the number of dirty syringes strewn in parts of the Winnipeg's core.
Health officials say the drop boxes are a safe way to dispose of used needles and prevent accidental contact with contaminated syringes that could potentially spread Hepatitis B, C, and HIV. Public health experts can't say whether intravenus drug use is on the rise, but that certain neighbourhoods have continued to report finding used needles in specific locations.
Change is possible
Abbotsford Mission Times"It takes the whole community, from the user, everybody. We need good rapport with city hall, the police, the health authorities, the people. [As an addict], you can still care of yourself, but when you have roadblocks, it makes it a lot harder," he said.
With 70 to 80 per cent of intravenous drug users infected with Hep C, providing services such as clean needles can go a long way to help prevent the spread of blood-borne infections such as Hep C and HIV, said Dr. John Farley, an infectious diseases specialist who treats local patients.
"I think it's a very regressive step," he said about the city bylaw.
It’s time we broke the silence about hepatitis, the quiet killer
By: Andre Picard, Globe and MailHepatitis is the Rodney Dangerfield of the viral world.
With HIV-AIDS, pandemic influenza and even the common cold stealing the headlines, hepatitis doesn’t get any respect or attention.
Yet it is estimated that one in 12 people worldwide are infected with a chronic form of hepatitis, a potentially serious liver disease.
Hepatitis is a forgotten epidemic, one whose relentless spread has been greatly facilitated by a combination of ignorance, indifference and stigma.
So one of the most effective tools we have to combat this epidemic is education.
EDITORIAL: Needled into action
Editorial: Abbotsford NewsAbbotsford has one of the highest rates of hepatitis C in the province.
One of the most common ways hep C is contracted is through the use of shared needles by drug users.
This city has a zoning bylaw that prohibits “harm reduction” facilities such as safe injection sites and needle exchanges.
Could there be a correlation between those facts?
Dr. John Farley, a local infectious disease specialist, would likely say yes.
He was among speakers at a rally in Abbotsford Tuesday which focused attention on this city’s restrictive policies relating to the spread of disease through shared needles.
[Harm Reduction] kits coming to city this summer
By Toby Gorman - Nanaimo News BulletinA controversial harm reduction strategy will go ahead in Nanaimo, this time with city council’s consultation.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority’s original foray into providing safer tools for drug users three years ago was met with outrage from both council and neighbourhood groups because of a lack of consultation.
This time, VIHA will use several fixed sites in areas known to be havens for drug users instead of a mobile van.
Lorna Medd, a medical health officer with VIHA, spoke to city council Monday, though neighbourhood groups continue to look in from the outside where consultation is concerned.
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