Rates of HIV, hepatitis C rising among London's drug users

HIV and hepatitis C infection rates are rising among injection-drug users in London, according to a study in the online edition of the British Medical Journal. Researchers at the Imperial College London found that one year ago 43.7% of 428 injection-drug users under age 30 were infected with hepatitis C and 4.2% were infected with HIV. The drug users were tested again 12 months later, and 53 more study subjected tested positive for hepatitis C and nine more tested positive for HIV. "Hepatitis C is now spreading at epidemic levels across London, and HIV incidence is worryingly high," the scientists told Reuters Health. "There is an urgent need for new and comprehensive programs to tackle this growing problem." The report estimates that London now has a higher hepatitis C prevalence level among injection-drug users than New York City.