Prevention of hepatitis in people who inject drugs and other marginalized populations

There are more than 11 million people who inject drugs (PWID) globally, according to a 2020 estimate by WHO, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Bank. Of this figure, 1.4 million PWID are living with HIV; 5.5 million are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV); and 1.2 million are living with both HIV and HCV.  

Globally, an estimated 23–39% of new HCV infections occur among people who currently inject drugs. And almost 1 in 3 deaths due to HCV were previously attributable to lifetime injecting drug use.

WHO recommends evidence-based prevention services, including distribution of sterile needles and syringes to PWID and opioid substitution therapy for people who are dependent to opiates. Implementation of harm reduction interventions for PWID is essential to control viral hepatitis and HIV epidemics; however, global coverage is inadequate. Ideally, needle and syringe distribution and opioid substitution therapy should be implemented at high coverage to prevent HCV transmission.

Viral HCV is also a major concern for other marginalized populations, such as men who have sex with men and people detained in prisons and other closed settings.