HEPATITIS C AT 'EPIDEMIC LEVELS '

One In Four Said They Had Shared A Needle In The Last
Month

Hepatitis C among young drug users in London is reaching epidemic
levels while HIV cases are "worryingly high", researchers have warned.

A study in the British Medical Journal found two in five new drug
users have hepatitis C, which damages the liver.

It also showed 3% of injecting drug users have HIV.

Researchers blamed the government's drug policy. But a government
spokesman said it was committed to driving down cases of hepatitis
C.

'New programmes needed'

Researcher Dr Ali Judd, of Charing Cross Hospital, west London, said:
"Hepatitis C is now spreading at epidemic levels across London and HIV
incidence is worryingly high, which if unchecked will lead to an
increase in the total number of HIV infections.

"There is an urgent need for new and comprehensive programmes to
tackle this growing number," she added.

There is a need now to reinvigorate harm reduction policies that
prevent transmission of hepatitis C and HIV

Dr Matthew Hickman, Imperial College London

The research was conducted by a team from Imperial College London, the
Health Protection Agency and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine.

Tests were carried out on 428 drug users who had been injecting for up
to six years.

It was found one in four reported sharing a needle in the past four
weeks. Both hepatitis C and HIV can be spread in this way.

'Successful treatment'

Dr Matthew Hickman, from Imperial College London, said government drug
policy has focused on drugs and crime for the past six years.

"There is a need now to reinvigorate harm reduction policies that
prevent transmission of hepatitis C and HIV," he said.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said almost #500m will be spent on
drug treatment from 2004 to 2005 .

She said: "The extra funding in the last few years has led to many
more drug users engaging in treatment and an increase in the numbers
successfully completing treatment."