Dublin drug addicts are 60 times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C than HIV, yet addicts fear hepatitis C far less, according to a survey presented at the WONCA medical conference.
Dr Bobby Smyth, a research assistant with the Eastern Health Board AIDS drugs service, said understanding of the risks of hepatitis C among intravenous drug users was inadequate and must improve if rates are to decrease; 20 per cent of the infected addicts could develop serious liver damage.
In the 1980s, the prevalence of HIV among drug addicts was up to 20 per cent in those tested for the first time. However, this had decreased to 1 per cent in a survey of those tested from 1992 until last year, while 60 per cent of those tested had hepatitis C.
In the drug-using population rates of hepatitis C were as high as 84 per cent, Dr Smyth said. Many would not be showing any symptoms and could have been infected a number of years ago.
There were many misconceptions among addicts about the risk of contracting hepatitis C, according to the survey.
Dr Smyth explained that hepatitis C is a more robust virus than HIV and it survives longer on needles. But addicts "are not as afraid of hepatitis C".