Profile of Hepatitis C & Injection Drug Use in Canada

Summary

In Canada, there has been a great deal of debate between federal/provincial/territorial policy makers, and the agencies responsible for providing addiction services with regards to the potential societal and financial impact of HBV, HCV and HIV infection rates. This paper examined the current literature pertaining to the prevalence of HCV in this country and examined some of the characteristics specific to this population.

The epidemiology of HCV appears to be unique and results in a pattern of infection different from HBV and HIV infected individuals. The literature is clear that HCV is transmitted primarily through blood-to-blood contact; with the sharing of needles among people who inject drugs the most common mode of transmission. There are vulnerable populations in our society who are at greater risk, but as has been experienced with other blood-borne viruses, these viruses can be transmitted to other segments of the population. Presently a young, single person at the low end of the economic scale is characteristic of those at greater risk.

As national and provincial/territorial policy makers develop strategies to curb the infection rate of HCV, it is not only the epidemiology of the virus and the existing infection rates that will need to be addressed, it is also the long-term costs to the Canadian health care system that will play an integral part in this national debate. The cumulative costs to society and the medical treatment needed to care for infected individuals are and will continue to be significant.

In a recent report to the Minister of Health, the Medical Research Council (1999) strongly emphasized the "looming crisis" that is being created by HCV on the health care system and the necessity for swift action in terms of resource allocation, policy development and a research agenda. In meeting this challenge, the report stressed that "it is imperative to keep people affected by HCV at centre stage and empower them to make informed decisions on issues pertaining to public awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment options, access to care, prevention programs and research strategies in order to decrease the burden of HCV" (p. 10).

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