Abstract
Since the 1980s hepatitis B and C have spread greatly among intravenous drug consumers. This shows up today in a high prevalence for both pathogens. It is striking that many patients who have only consumed drugs intravenously for a few years have already been infected with hepatitis B or C. The clear reduction in the spread of HIV within the drug-using community achieved by targeted measures during recent years has not had a similar impact on hepatitis B and C. Given this background, optimising preventive efforts among intravenous drug users is of great importance. Structural steps for therapy and damage-reduction should be optimised even more. Moreover, individual protective behaviour among patients should be improved. Medical advice and care is of great importance in this case. New studies show that many intravenous drug consumers are insufficiently informed on the risks of infection from shared use of injection utensils (spoons, filters, etc.) or drug sharing with used needles. Moreover, many drug consumers are not vaccinated against hepatitis B. Medical advice on protective behaviour should address these problems more directly. In the future, other sustainable intervention programmes based on this approach will need to be developed
Steffen, T