Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Kentucky - Syringe exchanges coupled with drug therapy, treatment could virtually eliminate hepatitis C

Syringe exchanges coupled with drug therapy, treatment could virtually eliminate hepatitis C
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Kentucky leads the nation in new infections of hepatitis C, a liver disease now driven mainly by intravenous drug use. It could be virtually eliminated, but that would require a committed strategy to increase syringe exchanges, medication-assisted therapies, and cutting treatment restrictions such as a ban on treating active intravenous drug users.

That was the overarching message to almost 300 people who attended the fourth annual Viral Hepatitis Conference in Lexington July 27. They also heard that Kentucky is working on all three fronts, but not going as far as some experts want when it comes to treating drug users.

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