Shooting Up: Infections among people who inject drugs in the UK 2012. An update: November 2013

1. People who inject image and performance enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids and melanotan, are at greater risk of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection than previously thought. In England and Wales, the level of HIV infection among this group is similar to that among people who inject psychoactive drugs, such as, heroin and crack-cocaine. The proportion that had ever been infected with hepatitis B is lower than that among people who inject psychoactive drugs, although recent survey findings suggest the level of infection has increased over time.
2. Infections remain common among people who inject psychoactive drugs. Overall around half of this group have been infected with hepatitis C; around one in every 100 has HIV; and almost one-third report having a recent symptom of an injecting site bacterial infection. Hepatitis B infection among people who inject psychoactive drugs has declined, probably reflecting the marked increase in the uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine.
3. Needle and syringe sharing is lower than a decade ago, although around one in seven of people who inject psychoactive drugs continue to share needles and syringes.
4. There has been a recent increase in the injection of amphetamines and amphetamine-type drugs, such as, mephedrone. Though these psychoactive drugs are much less commonly injected than opiates, crack-cocaine, or image and performance enhancing drugs, there is evidence that their injection is associated with higher levels of infection risk.
5. To minimise the harm from injecting drug use, changes in the patterns of use that increase infection risk need to be detected and responded to promptly. The continued public health monitoring of injecting drug use is therefore important. Services to prevent infections among people who inject either psychoactive or image and performance enhancing drugs need to be maintained and be responsive to any changes in drug use.

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Shooting Up: Infections among people who inject drugs in the UK 2012. An update: November 2013 

Shooting Up 2013 accompanying data tables 

Briefing on the Shooting Up report November 2013 

Injecting Equipment Provision in Scotland Survey 2011/12

This publication reports on the findings of the survey of injecting equipment provision (IEP) to people who inject drugs and relates to the financial year 2011/12. The survey was carried out by the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. The survey was originally commissioned in the context of Phase II of the Scottish Hepatitis C Action Plan1, which was funded by the Scottish Government and coordinated by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) The use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) in Scotland is posing a new challenge for the NHS after figures released today exposed their soaring use.

According to statistics from ISD Scotland, people injecting PIEDs now account for around a tenth of those who report to health services. It stated 93 per cent of injecting equipment provision outlets in Scotland now deal with such users, while the number of heroin addicts appears to be falling.

The Scottish Conservatives have warned that, if more people are taking performance enhancing drugs, the Scottish Government has to be ready for it. Despite the apparent drop in heroin use, nearly four million needles were handed out last year by the NHS, and this does not include the bulk of NHS Lothian’s figures, whose pharmacies did not submit data.

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