Hepatitis
The hepatitis viruses live in blood and other cells and can damage the human liver. Hepatitis is a medical term that means ‘inflamed liver’. All the hepatitis viruses can cause damage and swelling of the liver.

Many members of the hepatitis family have beendentified and named with letters of the alphabet.

The two main types transmitted by injecting drugs are hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In some areas 90% of injecting drug users have hepatitis C. Both can be carried (and passed on) for years without the person being aware that they have the virus.

The symptoms of liver disease caused by hepatitis include:

• Depression
• Exhaustion
• Jaundice.

Jaundice is a ‘turning yellow’ of the skin and whites of the eyes. When it starts the skin usually begins to change color as if the person were getting a tan, but the color is slightly more yellow than brown.

There is a vaccination that can stop you catching hepatitis B. It is a course of 3 or more injections over 3 or 6 months. You should be able to get it free from your local drug or sexual health service or from your GP - who may charge.

If you are an injecting drug user you should get vaccinated against hepatitis B: it is worth it because hepatitis B is a highly infectious, serious disease.

There is no vaccination that can protect you against hepatitis C or HIV, so even if you are immune to hepatitis B you still have to protect yourself from hepatitis C and HIV.

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