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It is passed when blood from an infected person gets directly into the bloodstream of someone else.

There is no vaccine that can stop you catching hep C.

The only way to avoid catching or passing on hep C is to understand the risks and practise safer injecting. You can reduce or remove the risk of catching and passing on the hep C virus to others if you are aware that tiny amounts of blood - too small to be seen - can pose an infection risk. Avoid sharing anything.

Hep C is not spread through day to day social contact like shaking hands, kissing, hugging, sharing eating and drinking utensils, or sharing a bath or shower.

If you are hep C positive, understanding the virus and the illnesses it can cause can help you get back a sense of control over your life and health. There are many support and information services available to people wishing to understand more about hep C - you can start by calling the number below.

Testing
Blood tests are the only way to tell if you have the hep C virus.

Knowing your hep C status can help you make informed decisions about your health, lifestyle and treatment options.

In Queensland, for further information on hep C contact the Alcohol and Drug Information Service on (07) 3236 2414 or regional freecall on 1800 177 833.

Below is the information the briefing paper gives to pharmacists to support the text on the calendar card.
It will hopefully be of interest both to professionals and injecting drug users.

The lack of a major public awareness campaign about hep C means that, unlike HIV, hep C is an infection that many IDUs are unclear about.

Testing
People who have shared injecting equipment should be encouraged to get tested for hep C. The screening test for hep C is a simple blood test.

By knowing their hep C status people can make informed decisions about their health, lifestyle and (if they’re hep C positive) treatment options.

Prognosis
About half of those with hep C go on to develop symptoms of liver disease after 15 - 20 years. About half (20% of all those infected) of these will suffer serious illness, with about 10% of all those infected developing chirrosis or carcenoma of the liver.

The risks of progressing to liver disease are much higher if there is co-infection with HIV, more than one genotype of hep C and/or heavy alcohol consumption.

Treatment
Treatment for people with hep C has improved greatly in recent years. There are a number of treatments available for the treatment of hep C. If given at the right time, about 40% will clear the virus when treated with combination therapy.

Complementary therapies have no direct anti-viral effects, but can be useful in reducing the side effects of treatment.

Key intervention points
The main points that we need to make sure all injectors understand are that:

hep C is much more prevalent than HIV amongst IDUs;
the definition of ‘sharing’ has now expanded to include spoons, filters and mixing water as these may all carry particles of virus; and
having a blood test and knowing your hep C status puts you in control and gives you access to improving treatments.

Asking people who have previously received the hep C card what they thought of it or whether they learnt anything might be a useful way of starting conversation and creating the opportunity to raise some or all of these points.

Further reading
Australian Hepatitis Council. (2001). Thinking about treatment for hepatitis C? Canberra: AHC.

Australian IV League. (2000). Liver First. Woden, ACT: AIVL.

Australian National Council on AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases. (2000a). National Hepatitis C Strategy 1999 - 2000 to 2003 - 2004: Changes and Challenges. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.

Australian National Council on AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases. (2001). The Australian Media Guide to Hepatitis C. Canberra: Australian Hepatitis Council.

Hepatitis C Council of Queensland. (2001). Hepatitis C Information Kit. Brisbane: Hepatitis C Council of Queensland.

Hepatitis C Council of Victoria. (2000). Impact: Hepatitis C Information (Second Edition). Melbourne: Hepatitis C Council of Victoria.

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